The New York Rangers have chosen to take a flier on Carson Soucy – but so far the short ride has been less than ideal. One of the latest Blueshirts’ trade acquisitions acquired for a third-round pick, was healthy scratched from Saturday and Sunday’s lineups in an interesting decision made by head coach Peter Laviolette.
Related: Q&A With New York Rangers Broadcasting Legend Sam Rosen
The decision was a little stunning even though Zac Jones’ recent play and his ability to quarterback a power play has warranted an extended stay in the lineup, and Urho Vaakanainen has been a steady piece on the blue line since president and general manager Chris Drury acquired the Finnish product in the Jacob Trouba trade back in December.
Not Much Downside
But this can’t be what the organization had in mind when deciding to trade an important asset ahead of the March 7 trade deadline. Add that to the fact that Vaakanainen has struggled next to Adam Fox in his first two games paired with the 2021 Norris Trophy winner. Vaakanainen has averaged an expected goals for (xGF) rate of 35.4 percent over that span, data from Natural Stat Trick shows. It’s hard to imagine him being the long-term answer on the Rangers’ first pair.
At some point, Soucy will likely get another chance. And Laviolette needs to find playing time for him because the Rangers need an answer. The 30-year-old is no use to the team as a seventh defenseman or on the bottom pair as a shutdown defenseman. Vaakanainen and Braden Schneider have already shown that they are capable of performing those roles. What’s needed is a top-four defenseman – and preferably somebody who can play with Fox. Let’s see it in action; Soucy will either prove to be a positive play driver or he’ll be an anchor to the first pair.
It’s a Dart Throw
In our trade deadline grades, we referred to the move to acquire Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks as a “dart throw.” Mostly, the 30-year-old has been featured in a third-pairing role. Last season with the Canucks, he posted an xGF rate of 51.13 percent, however, this season with the Canadian franchise has gone south, as his xGF dropped to 44.14 percent.
Sometimes a change in scenery helps. Also, maybe the organization’s thinking was too ambitious and Laviolette may not agree with the notion (at least to this point). Asking Soucy to go from a struggling third-pairing defenseman to Fox’s partner or even in a top-four role is a lot of added responsibility. But that’s the direction Drury chose to take. So why not try it out at some point before the regular season ends and see if the 6-foot-5 defender could be part of the Rangers’ short or long-term plans? The worst-case scenario is Soucy proves to be a slight downgrade from Vaakanainen. The bar isn’t very high.
Rangers Can’t Be Married to Soucy Either
While Laviolette should be open to experimenting with a Soucy-Fox combination – by no means should the Rangers be content with it. The same goes for just about every defenseman on the roster too.
Odds are Soucy will not be the long-term solution on the first pair. Sure, there’s the Devon Toews’ of the world who can thrive next to a star defenseman (Cale Makar) after performing well in more of a sheltered bottom-pairing role with the New York Islanders. But the Rangers have tried something like this before with plenty of players like Nick Holden in the past, and it just hasn’t been ideal. If it doesn’t work out, Drury shouldn’t have too much of an issue with moving Soucy’s one season remaining at a $3.25 million cap hit in the offseason. Luckily, defensemen and centers are always in demand around the league.
Regardless, the front office should be active in the offseason and see if a better, more reliable top-four defenseman becomes available in the market.
But right now, there aren’t that many great options to put next to Fox. So it’s an option worth trying. Soucy is no use to the Rangers in a sheltered role or as a healthy scratch. Odds are it won’t work – but it’s worth trying at least for a few shifts. If it doesn’t pan out, Soucy won’t be here much longer anyway. The problem is, we don’t know for sure – so it’s time to get a definite answer before it’s too late.
