The pre-Olympic Break trade market seems to be heating up a little as a rumored deal between the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders is in the works. The Rangers, looking to begin yet another rebuild, are set to part ways with defenseman Carson Soucy according to The Athletic’s Vince Mercogliano, who covers the Blueshirts. As of now, there is no speculation on what the return might be for the 31-year-old left-shot defenseman.
Wild fans will be familiar with Soucy, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL draft, and spent three seasons with Minnesota. From 2017 until 2021 the Alberta native appeared in 108 games and recorded 31 points (8 goals, 23 assists). In 12 postseason games he did not record a point. In the summer of 2021, Soucy was left unprotected by the Wild in the Seattle expansion draft, and the Kraken jumped at the chance to take 26-year-old defender.
After playing out the final two seasons of his contract in Seattle, Soucy signed a three-year, $9.75 million deal with Vancouver. His tenure with Canucks lasted 99 games before they traded him to the Rangers at last season’s trade deadline for a 2025 third-round pick.
A disappointing 2025-26 season led Rangers’ general manager Chris Drury to send a letter to fans announcing that his goal was to “retool the team” before clarifying that “this is not a rebuild”. He acknowledged that pending free agents and established veterans were likely going to be traded as he tries to bring in draft picks, cap space, and younger players. Soucy, who is in the final season of a deal that carries a cap hit of $3,250,000 definitely fits the bill.
The cream of the crop for teams looking to pick over the Rangers roster in order to help their own playoff chances is undoubtedly forward Artemi Panarin, who is set to be a free agent this summer. Would the 34-year-old winger fit in the Wild’s plans? It’s never a bad idea to add scoring talent, but at the pro-rated portion of $11,642,857, that is still an uncomfortable cap hit to absorb for a non-center.
With most of their impact players like J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad signed to long-term, expensive deals a blockbuster trade with the Rangers probably isn’t in the cards for Minnesota, but depending on what Bill Guerin does in regards to other moves, there are some ancillary players that might fill a role. Should Guerin find the right deal to move Jesper Wallstedt, he might be interested in swinging a deal for Jonathan Quick to serve as Filip Gustavsson’s back-up. The 40-year-old netminder would bring depth and experience to the roster for a reasonable cap hit ($1,550,000).
The same kind of depth move could apply to Sam Carrick, a bottom-six center that can win face-offs and play defensive hockey.
As the February 4th roster freeze looms closer, expect rumors and deals of this nature to become more common.