Rangers On Verge of Trading Veteran Defender to Islanders

The New York Rangers said they were going to retool. They might be about to make good on that promise.

Dec 27, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Carson Soucy (24) attempts a shot on goal during a penalty shot in the third period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The first move of the New York Rangers’ retool could be imminent.

According to Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, New York is working on a trade that would send defenseman Carson Soucy to the crosstown New York Islanders. While there hasn’t been an official announcement yet, Mercogliano advised that the team could hold him out of the lineup for roster management ahead of tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins.

I'm hearing #NYR are on the verge of their first move of the retool. A trade that sends Carson Soucy to the #Isles is brewing.

No official announcement yet as they work out the particulars, but expect him to be held out of the lineup tonight for roster management.

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) January 26, 2026

If the trade goes through, it would be the first deal between the Rangers and Islanders since 2010.

Soucy was acquired by the Rangers midway through last season from the Vancouver Canucks. He has played 62 games in New York and tallied four goals and 11 assists, including three goals and five assists through 46 games this season. Overall, he has appeared in 411 games over the course of an eight-year NHL career. He was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft and spent the first four years of his career there before moving to the Seattle Kraken in 2021. After two seasons in Seattle, he moved just a couple of hours north to Vancouver.

The Rangers Are Getting Set for a Retool

May 8, 2025; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury speaks during a press conference to introduce new head coach Mike Sullivan at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, New York May 8, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Peter Carr/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images | The Journal News-Imagn Images

It’s no secret the Rangers have endured a disappointing couple of seasons in the immediate aftermath of winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022-23. With the team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, Rangers general manager Chris Drury addressed fans in a media statement on Jan. 16, stating that in order to bring a Stanley Cup back to Madison Square Garden, the franchise would have to move on from some beloved players.

“With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation,” Drury said. “We are not going to stand pat — a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team. This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects. We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed and a winning pedigree, with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward. That may mean saying goodbye to players who have brought us and our fans great moments over the years. These players represented the Rangers with pride and class and will always be a part of our family.”

The first domino to fall in the new retool was the report that the team would not be offering star forward Artemi Panarin a contract extension. It appears the next move could be sending Soucy to the Islanders, if the current reporting holds true. At this time, the trade is not official, nor has a return been announced.

The Rangers are set to match up with the surging Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. EST at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

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