New York Rangers defenseman Carson Soucy will be held out of the team’s lineup Monday against the Boston Bruins ahead of a trade with the New York Islanders, as first reported by Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic.
Soucy, a 31-year-old, 6-foot-5 left-shot defenseman, is in the final year of a three-year, $3.25 AAV contract. He was initially acquired by the Rangers from the Vancouver Canucks last March in exchange for a third-round draft pick.
The return for Soucy from the Islanders has not yet been confirmed, nor has the deal been finalized as of Monday afternoon.
The trade will mark Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury’s first major move since he sent out a letter to fans on Jan. 16 indicating the club’s intention to re-tool.
The Rangers currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference with 48 points, seven points back of the second-to-last Ottawa Senators and 14 points below the playoff threshold. The Islanders, meanwhile, are third in the Metropolitan Division entering Monday night’s clash with the Philadelphia Flyers.
In 46 games played for the Blueshirts this season, Soucy has managed three goals and eight points.
The Islanders are in dire need of depth on their blue line after injuries have short-handed their unit. Alex Romanov is out for the remainder of the regular season, and Ryan Pulock was labeled “day-to-day” by head coach Patrick Roy prior to Saturday’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
It has left general manager Mathieu Darche with an inconsistent rotation of fringe veterans and minor-league options, whether that be Adam Boqvist, Cole McWard, or Isaiah George, who made his 2025-26 debut on Saturday.
Soucy will at least bolster the left side of the Islanders’ third defensive pairing. Who he will line up alongside remains the bigger question. If Pulock does not miss too much time, veteran Scott Mayfield can flex down to that bottom pairing. If he is out for a considerable stretch, though, George could either pay on his off-side, or Boqvist will slot in next to Soucy.
A trade between the Rangers and Islanders is as rare as they come when it comes to NHL swaps. The local rivals have completed only three trades together since the Islanders entered the league in 1972. This would be the first since 2010 when the Rangers acquired Jyri Niemi for a sixth-round draft pick. The first two came in 1972.
