Coming into the season, there were a lot of question marks surrounding the Rangers' blueline. After a 2024-25 season that saw the Rangers as one of the worst defensive teams and a summer that included the trade of K'Andre Miller, many were unsure how these pairings would play out. Sure, everyone expected the first pairing of Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov to be good, but the other two pairings had questions and left a lot to be desired.
After the first month of the season, it's been a mixed result. However, one player who should be starting to worry the organization is Carson Soucy. Through 16 games, he has recorded a goal and two assists for three points as well as 18 blocks, 26 hits, four takeaways, and 18 giveaways. Per Evolving-Hockey, he ranks seventh among qualified defenseman with a CF% of 45.71, and sixth with an xGF% of 50.05. These are not the numbers you want from a second-pairing defenseman. If this play continues, it could be time for the Rangers to move on from him.
Carson Soucy days in the Rangers lineup could be numbered
Now, the lack of offensive production should come as no surprise. Throughout his career, Soucy has always been a defensive-first player. The most points he had ever produced in a season were 22, back in the 2020-21 season. However, his metrics indicate that he hasn't been dominant on defense. According to Natural Stat Trick, he has a xGA of 9.31 and has allowed 41 high danger chances, with four of those finding the back of the net.
The pairings he's on have also not been producing. So far this season, he's mainly played alongside Will Borgen and Brendan Schneider. These pairings have combined for 4.25 xGoals Against and a 2.61 xGoals Against Per 60 Minutes. They have also allowed 205 shot attempts and 50.38 shot attempts per 60 minutes. Pairings with Soucy are allowing too many opportunities and goals. This is a serious problem for a company that's already struggling.
Now, with how well the Rangers' goalies have played this season, their shortcomings with defensemen are somewhat masked. While relying too heavily on goaltending has worked in the past, it's very risky. What happens if the goalies go through a cold streak or regress? That will make these defensive problems more glaring and will likely cost the Rangers games. In a competitive Eastern Conference, the Rangers can't afford long losing streaks.
The Rangers also have several internal options to replace Soucy. Players like Scott Morrow, Matthew Robertson, and Connor Mackey are on the NHL/AHL bubble. Sure, Morrow and Robertson are playing now, but that's due to injuries. Once the Rangers get healthy, they're likely on the first trip back to Hartford. However, the more brilliant move would be to give one of them the Soucy spot and see if they can play better. At the very least, can they play decent enough to get them to the trade deadline.
Of course this is much easier said than done as Soucy carries a $3.25 million and it's hard to keep a player making that much out of the lineup. However, if the Rangers are serious about getting back to the playoffs, they need Soucy to step up or put him in the press box.