The New York Rangers are in the midst of a down season. Rangers GM Chris Drury prepared fans for a retool in a lengthy letter posted to the Rangers' supporters. Now, the first domino of that retool may be falling, and the New York Islanders could be the beneficiary.
The Rangers were preparing to trade Carson Soucy to the Islanders on Monday afternoon, according to Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic. After the Rangers and Islanders played on Monday night, the trade was completed. The Isles sent a third-round pick across the river for the defenseman.
#Isles Transaction: The New York Islanders have acquired Carson Soucy in exchange for a 3rd round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 27, 2026
Soucy was held out of the Rangers' lineup for their game against the Boston Bruins on Monday night in preparation for a trade.
Soucy is in the final year of a three-year contract, with an AAV of $3.25 million. He also has a modified no-trade clause and a 12-team no-trade list, but it is unknown if the Islanders are on that list.
The Canadian-born defender was the 137th selection of the Minnesota Wild in the 2013 NHL Draft. After playing at the University of Minnesota Duluth, he would join the Wild franchise in 2016-17, primarily playing with the Iowa Wild of the AHL until 2019-20. He was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft, playing two years with Seattle before signing as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
He was traded to the Rangers ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, playing 16 games with the club in 2024-25. This year, he has played in 46 games, with three goals and five assists.
Soucy would likely act as the replacement for Alexander Romanov, who is injured and could be out for the year. The Islanders are currently 27-19-5 on the year, which places them in third in the Metropolitan Division. They face the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night. If the trade is finalized soon, Soucy will be facing the Rangers in his first game with the Islanders, as the two teams face each other both Wednesday and Thursday night.




















