Rangers defenseman ‘came in looking to try and make an impact,’ but was it enough?

This past season was an admittedly difficult one for Carson Soucy. But the 30-year-old defenseman believes better days are ahead for him and the New York Rangers next season. Though whether he remains with the Rangers in 2025-26 is debatable.

Acquired ahead of the trade deadline from the Vancouver Canucks for a third-round pick in this year’s draft, Soucy was viewed as an upgrade on the blue line and someone who could fill a role after pending unrestricted free agent Ryan Lindgren was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. With another season left on his contract that pays him $3.25 million annually, Soucy wasn’t a rental but instead viewed as part of the short-term future.

After playing a top-four role when the Canucks finished first in the Pacific Division with 50 wins and 109 points in 2023-24, Soucy struggled this season. So did the Canucks, not dissimilar to how controversy and poor play sabotaged the Rangers in 2024-25.

When Vancouver traded for defenseman Marcus Pettersson, there wasn’t really a role for Soucy on the Canucks, who shipped him to the Rangers.

“It wasn’t obviously as good as I wanted in Vancouver, just kind of a tough season for myself there, but I think for a decent amount of guys where we just kind of struggled putting what we had together the last season when we were in the playoffs,” Soucy explained at break-up day.

The veteran defenseman had 10 points in 59 games with the Canucks, and was minus-13. The Canucks allowed nearly 100 more scoring chances (402-303) with Soucy on the ice 5v5, and their expected goals share was 44.14 percent in those instances, per Natural Stat Trick.

The trade to New York offered Soucy a fresh start. With the Rangers, Soucy played some on the top pair with Adam Fox, and a bit down the defense pairs, too. The Rangers had a 53.24 expected goals share percentage with him on the ice 5v5, and outscored opponents 10-9 with Soucy out there. But there plenty of other metrics, and the eye test, that didn’t shine so well on Soucy.

“When a team wants to move on, you want to go to a team that wants you. I think these guys did, so I came in looking to try and make an impact,” Soucy stated..

Soucy made an immediate positive impression in New York, when he scored goal in his Rangers debut March 8 at the Ottawa Senators.

Soucy didn’t score another goal during the season, finishing with three points (one goal, two assists) in 16 games after the trade. But point production is not as important as the other side of the puck for Soucy. And he was better in New York than Vancouver this season, averaging two minutes fewer per game with the Rangers (16:14 TOI).

It wasn’t an easy transition, though, for Soucy.

“For sure, a little bit, yeah (it was difficult),” Soucy said. “That was the first time for me (traded midseason) … you get used to it pretty quick. But it was definitely different.”

In the end, though, neither the Rangers nor the Canucks reached the postseason.

“Obviously, we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to in making the playoffs,” Soucy explained. “That’s the No. 1 thing. It was unfortunate for me. I thought my play got better as it went on. But the main thing is we didn’t make the playoffs.”

Should Rangers trade Carson Soucy?

Soucy’s future largely hinges on what happens with K’Andre Miller, a restricted free agent. If Miller signs an offer sheet elsewhere that New York chooses not to match, or if general manager Chris Drury decides to trade him, Soucy will likely stay put in New York.

However, if the more likely scenario plays out and the Rangers sign Miller to a new contract with an expected hefty raise, Soucy could be a salary-cap casualty candidate. Really, it all depends on how the Rangers value Soucy.

If they see him as a top-pair or second-pair defenseman, than $3.25 million is a bargain. But did his play warrant that confidence in his ability? Is Soucy more a third-pair defenseman? If so, they likely need to shed his salary facing a cap crunch this summer.

With how poorly the Rangers defense core performed this past season, you’d think Drury would explore shoring up the top-four this summer, either in free agency or trade. UFAs Ivan Provorov, Vladislav Gavrikov and Dmitry Orlov each might be too rich for the Rangers liking, but even a lesser name would require them to shed some salary from the cap. Soucy could be part of that process.

However, maybe Drury and Co. believe Soucy is good value in the top-four, especially if the plan is to move Miller up with Fox and pair Soucy with Will Borgen, his former partner with the Seattle Kraken. Remember, the Rangers knew — and apparently liked — that Soucy was signed through next season when they acquired him.

But did he show enough to warrant a spot on next season’s Rangers roster? That’s the question Drury grapples with today.