The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved to clear room on their blue line, placing defenseman Carson Soucy on waivers after activating Dante Fabbro yesterday.
If Soucy is claimed, he would be on to his fifth organization in three years. The Viking, Alberta, native started his NHL career with the Minnesota Wild in 2017-18 before being selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft.
Soucy’s best stretch came in Seattle, where he carved out a steady role over two seasons. In the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, he put up 13 goals and 37 points in 142 games, posted a plus-25 rating and averaged 16:55 of ice time per night. He also added 169 blocked shots and 261 hits, while finishing with a 51.4% CorsiFor and a 90.5% on-ice SV% at even strength.
That performance earned him another multi-year deal, a three-year, $9.75MM contract carrying a $3.25MM AAV with the Vancouver Canucks in free agency. Things went sideways quickly after that. Injuries piled up right away, Soucy fell out of favor in Vancouver, and the Canucks eventually shipped him to the New York Rangers for a 2025 third-round pick.
The move did not spark a turnaround. Soucy played 62 games for the Rangers and recorded four goals and 11 points with a plus-6 rating, while averaging just under 17 minutes a game. The underlying numbers were respectable, but his lack of speed pushed him down the depth chart and into bottom-pairing minutes.
New York moved on again nearly 11 months later, sending Soucy to the New York Islanders on January 26th of last season in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick. His stint with the Islanders, by the source’s telling, did not go well.
This season, Soucy resurfaced with Columbus after converting a professional tryout agreement with the club. Despite the skating issues, head coach Rick Bowness paired him mostly with Erik Gudbranson.
That tandem posted a 22.2% xGoals% at MoneyPuck, the worst mark on the team by a wide margin. Through seven games with the Blue Jackets, Soucy has one assist and has averaged 14:45 of ice time.
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