Carson Soucy was traded to the New York Islanders by the New York Rangers on Monday for a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The 31-year-old defenseman has eight points (three goals, five assists) and a plus-4 rating while averaging 17:13 of ice time in 46 games this season. Entering Monday, he was third on the Rangers in blocks (66), tied for fourth in takeaways (14), and seventh in hits (71) and short-handed time on ice per game (1:41).
He is expected to make his Islanders debut when they host the Rangers at UBS Arena on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, MSG 2). The two teams play in the second half of a back-to-back at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
"I kind of knew trades were coming," Soucy said Wednesday. "This one just kind of made sense, just with, obviously, family and stuff. Don't have to opt out. We're going to probably stick around the area we're in right now. So kind of made sense. It's definitely going to be weird, obviously, going up against them in these next two games. But ultimately, it's coming in here to try and make a push."
Soucy is in the final season of a three-year, $9.75 million contract ($3.25 million average annual value) he signed with the Vancouver Canucks on July 1, 2023, and can become an unrestricted free agent after this season. He had been acquired by New York in a trade with Vancouver on March 6, 2025.
"Carson Soucy is a big presence, kills penalties," Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche said Wednesday. "He's got experience in the NHL. He's a player who can play physical. And you see this year in New York, like he actually played pretty well for the Rangers. He's one of the few Ds in the pluses over there. So again, we're bringing some experience in the NHL to help us."
Monday's trade comes less than two weeks since general manager Chris Drury announced in a public letter to the Rangers' fan base that the team was going to begin retooling its roster. The Rangers (22-25-6), who are 3-9-2 in their past 14 games, are last in the Eastern Conference with 50 points.
"With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation," Drury wrote on Jan. 16. "We are not going to stand pat. A shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team. This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects."
Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the fifth round (No. 137) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Soucy has 95 points (30 goals, 65 assists) in 411 regular-season games for the Wild, Seattle Kraken, Canucks and Rangers. He also has seven points (two goals, five assists) in 38 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Islanders (28-19-5), who are third in the Metropolitan Division, are currently without key defensemen Ryan Pulock and Alexander Romanov. Pulock has missed the past two games because of an upper-body injury. Romanov has not played since Nov. 18 because of a shoulder injury that required surgery. At the time of the surgery, he was expected to be out 5-6 months.
The Islanders made another trade on Tuesday, when they acquired forward Ondrej Palat from the New Jersey Devils for forward Maxim Tsyplakov.
The Islanders also received a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft in the deal.
NHL.com independent correspondent Stefen Rosner contributed to this report
