Why did New York Rangers defenseman Carson Soucy have a poor 2024-25 campaign? Unfortunately, this question poses many answers.
Soucy was traded to the New York Rangers by the Vancouver Canucks on March 6th for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He was brought in by President and General Manager Chris Drury in order to improve the Rangers situation with defenseman and was known to be a "stay-at-home defenseman"; instead, Soucy did the opposite.
Soucy was originally viewed as a member of the blueline who could deny zone entries and disrupt plays on the rush. However, it was clear to the Rangers' fans that he struggled.
Why Carson Soucy was among one of the Rangers worst defensemen
Soucy is 30-years-old and was drafted all the way back in 2013 in the fifth round (No. 137 overall), so he has the experience in order for his defensive tools to not show what they did this most recent season.
Carson Soucy absolutely sucks. I’d rather see Matthew Roberson there. #NYR
— John (@92In82) April 7, 2025
Carson Soucy again,
— M.D (@nucks0) November 18, 2024
He had the chance to get the puck deep but fans on it at the red line and falls down. Puck goes the other way and it’s an additional minute of pressure in Canucks zone.
This guy sucks right now. Completely unplayable.
The Alberta, Canada native could often be seen not making smart decisions when moving the puck which resulted in turnover tendencies. His foot positioning and speed could also use some work — which is extra concerning given his previously mentioned age.
However, he was somewhat effective when skating with Adam Fox. But, in my opinion this was only supported by Fox's elite play and can be further backed up by Soucy's individual statistics.
In 16 games with the Rangers, Soucy tallied a mere three points across one goal and two assists. Before coming to Madison Square Garden he recorded 10 points across his 59 games played with Vancouver. Statistically, many fans could view him as one of the worst defenseman in the league this year.
Though it is worth mentioning that NHL.com projected Soucy as one of the main players in the Blueshirt's expected lineup for 2025-26. Let's hope that Soucy proves both me and a lot of the fanbase wrong next year and shows he has what it takes to be an elite defenseman.