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The New York Rangers sold low on an impending UFA defenseman, setting a bad precedent for future deals this season.
The New York Rangers sold low on a rare trade with the crosstown rival New York Islanders on Monday.
Rumblings of the deal involving impending UFA blueliner Carson Soucy hit the airwaves on Monday morning. While the deal itself isn’t surprising, the parties involved, and, most importantly, the return are.
Firstly, it was surprising to hear that the Rangers worked out a deal with the Islanders. The Blueshirts have made all of three deals with the Isles, with the last one happening back in 2010.
Perhaps the most surprising part of all was the return the Rangers got for Soucy. As Emily Kaplan of ESPN confirmed, the Blueshirts landed a third-rounder from the 2026 NHL Draft.
That’s it. The Rangers could not extract more value for the 31-year-old blueliner.
In short, that’s not a good start to the Rangers’ retool. Sure, Soucy isn’t exactly Quinn Hughes or Rasmus Andersson. So, expecting first-round picks and top prospects wasn’t a realistic prospect. But one has to think that Rangers GM Chris Drury could have gotten more for Soucy.
Perhaps it was just a matter of clearing up cap space for a bigger move. It’s worth keeping in mind that the Blueshirts are looking to move Artemi Panarin. So, cap space could come in handy, particularly if multiple moving pieces are a part of that deal.
Soucy Trade Sets Bad Precedent for Rangers Retool
The issue with selling low on Soucy is not so much the return itself. The issue is that it sets a bad precedent for the Rangers’ incipient retool. Selling low on Soucy means that parties interested in landing Artemi Panarin could sort of twist Drury’s arm into giving them a better deal.
If Drury let Soucy go for a third-round pick, why should other teams expect to pay a king’s ransom for Panarin? At least, that would be the rationale for rival GMs looking to land the Russian superstar.
In the meantime, the Rangers will play the remainder of this season without the trusted, veteran blueliner. The club’s current blueline corps looks serviceable enough even without Adam Fox. The group pulled out a 4-3 overtime win over the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
Blueshirts Likely Just Getting Started
The Soucy trade is likely just the beginning of multiple moves to come this season. With about 10 days until the February 4 roster freeze, the Rangers could be looking to make more moves.
Once the roster freeze kicks in, the club will have time to work behind the scenes during the Olympic break. Once rosters unfreeze on February 22, an impending frenzy of moves could leave the Rangers front and center.
It remains unclear what other players may be on the move. However, the sense is that just about everyone is available. While the expectation is on Artemi Panarin moving soon, other pieces could be on the move.
The Rangers have other veterans like Sam Carrick and Taylor Raddysh who might interest other clubs. Then, there’s Alexis Lafreniere, who may draw some attention as well.
The next week or so will be an interesting time for Rangers fans as trades may just be getting underway.
Nestor Quixtan Seasoned NHL analyst and baseball writer focused on covering clubs across each league with news, analysis, and insights. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Nestor’s singular experiences and background have enabled him to bring a different take on the sports world as a whole. Nestor’s fondness for baseball and hockey set the tone for his love and passion for writing about sports. More about Nestor Quixtan
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