Jan 14, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Carson Soucy (24) falls to the ice after getting injured in the second period against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images The New York Rangers traded defenseman Carson Soucy to the New York Islanders on Monday night, the start of what Rangers general manager Chris Drury said would be a “retool.”
The Islanders sent their New York rivals a third-round pick in the 2026 draft.
Before the deal was confirmed, the Rangers held Soucy out of their Monday game against the visiting Boston Bruins, and New York went on to win 4-3 in overtime.
Soucy, 31, has three goals, five assists and 18 penalty minutes in 46 games this season, averaging 17:13 of ice time with 66 blocks and 71 hits.
The Rangers acquired Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks at the 2025 trade deadline.
The Alberta native has 95 points (30 goals, 65 assists) in 411 games with the Minnesota Wild, Seattle Kraken, Canucks and Rangers. The Wild drafted him in the fifth round in 2013.
The Islanders, who blanked the host Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 on Monday, sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Rangers are in the Eastern Conference cellar, and Drury recently sent a letter to fans about the team’s forthcoming plans.
“This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects,” Drury wrote on Jan. 16. “We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed, and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward. That may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years.”
–Field Level Media
