On a day that it was first reported by Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, Carson Soucy was traded from the Rangers to the Islanders during tonight’s game against the Bruins at MSG.

The two bitter rivals finally completed the trade after 8 PM. With Soucy sitting out due to roster management reasons, Urho Vaakanainen got the start in his place. As the second period began, Soucy was finally dealt to the Islanders for a 2026 third round pick. ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan confirmed the move.

In the final year of his contract with a $3.25 million cap hit, the 31-year-old Soucy  had played better this season than when he first came over to the Rangers from the Canucks for a 2025 third round pick last Mar. 6.

After having a goal and two assists with four penalty minutes in 16 games last season, the veteran defenseman tallied three goals and five assists for eight points, 18 penalty minutes, and a plus-4 rating over 46 contests this season with the Blueshirts.

Mostly teamed up with former Kraken teammate Will Borgen on the second defensive pair, Soucy acquitted himself well under Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan by playing with more edge by contributing 71 hits and 66 blocked shots. He was averaging 17:13 per game before getting moved to the Islanders, who filled a need on the blue line by acquiring the experienced Soucy, who’ll likely play on the third pair.

After spending his first two years in Minnesota, Soucy played his next two seasons in Seattle before moving to Vancouver, where he spent nearly two years before the Rangers acquired him. In 62 games, Soucy finishes with 11 points, 100 hits, and 80 blocks.

Now, he’ll move to the Long Island side of the rivalry, which ironically will feature a home and home series this Wednesday and Thursday between the Rangers and Islanders. This time, he’ll line up on the opposite side against former teammates.

Rangers Get Good Return for Soucy

It was less than a year ago that the Rangers brought in Soucy to help provide some help after Ryan Lindgren was sent packing to Colorado on Mar. 6.

They gave up a third round pick to get Soucy. Fast forward to Jan. 26, and they’ve recouped a third round pick for the same player. A good return for a defensive defenseman whose contract is set to expire this summer.

By dealing away Soucy, it opens up a spot for Vaakanainen, who came in and picked up a primary assist on a Will Cuylle goal in the first period on Monday night. For the time being, it looks like he’ll be part of the top six until Adam Fox returns from a lower-body injury that has him on long-term injured reserve.

With Soucy being subtracted from the roster, Connor Mackey was recalled from Hartford. He’ll serve as the extra defenseman for now.

The Rangers have more to get to ahead. Both Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck should draw plenty of attention from interested teams around the league. What that means for team president and general manager Chris Drury is that he has more business to attend to.

Soucy is the first domino to fall during the ‘retool.’ Who’s next?