One of the biggest issues the Edmonton Oilers have is their lack of depth on the blue line. While they have a pretty strong defensive core on paper they still seem to struggle when the going gets tough, and it’s an issue the team has had for plenty of seasons. A potential “diamond in the rough” acquisition could be Seattle Kraken defenseman, Carson Soucy. In this article, the benefits of bringing in a hometown player on an expiring contract are discussed, as well as a potential trade package the Oilers could part with in order to make this deal work.
Who is Carson Soucy & How Does He Benefit the Oilers?
Soucy is a 28-year-old left-shot defenseman from Viking, Alberta currently playing for the Kraken. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild at 137th overall. He spent four seasons in the NCAA before making his debut with the Wild during the 2017-18 season, only playing three games. He is in his fourth full season in the NHL and has 222 games under his belt. In that time he has scored 20 goals and added 41 assists for 61 points, which comes out to a 0.27 points-per-game average. This current season, he has played 50 games scoring two goals and adding seven assists for nine points.
Related: Oilers Have Great Rental Options To Upgrade Defence At Deadline
As I mentioned earlier, Soucy spent the majority of his junior career in the NCAA. He spent that time playing with the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he played 147 games scoring 12 goals and adding 35 assists for 47 points. In his draft year though, he played in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) with the Spruce Grove Saints. In only one season, he scored five goals and added 10 assists for 15 points, but showed off the grittier side of his game gathering 71 penalty minutes.
Soucy has proven to be a solid two-way defender no matter where he has played. His hockey IQ is quite high and it’s evident as he is able to read plays on breakouts and zone entries while making the right decision with the puck in the offensive zone. The Oilers have been looking for a defenseman that makes the right choices and keeps the puck out of their own net, and he is able to do just that.
What Would it Cost the Oilers?
Soucy’s contract expires at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season and has a $2.75 million cap hit. The Oilers can very much afford his contract and it shouldn’t be too hard to get something done between the two sides. If the Kraken can’t get an extension figured out with him, then he would likely consider re-signing in Edmonton seeing as he was born and raised in Alberta.
I think a trade between the two sides would involve the Oilers acquiring Soucy in exchange for Jesse Puljujarvi, Raphael Lavoie, a third-round pick, and a fourth-round pick. I can’t see the Kraken looking for too much if they decide to trade him, as he hasn’t been their top blueliner and they’d be in a position where they’d have to move him if they couldn’t re-sign him. I think the Oilers have all the leverage in this deal.
It’s a decent trade package the Oilers are giving up, but they’re moving on from a player they don’t see a fit for in their lineup going forward and are bringing in someone that fills a need, and has a really high chance of re-signing when his deal is up. I think the Oilers should be all over this the second Soucy is made available by the Kraken, as he is a very skilled player and could be the missing piece the team has been searching for.
