The New York Rangers and New York Islanders don't make a habit of doing business together. In fact, it's been over a decade since these two rivals last pulled off a trade. But that changed with the Rangers sending defenseman Carson Soucy to Long Island in exchange for a third-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft.
Let’s break this down.
Soucy was held out of the lineup for what the team called "roster management," a clear sign that something was brewing. And now we know why.
The Rangers are moving on from a player who never quite found his footing in the Blueshirts’ system. Acquired last season at the trade deadline, Soucy didn’t exactly make the impact the front office had hoped for.
He struggled to keep pace and found himself as a healthy scratch more than once down the stretch.
To Soucy’s credit, he showed some improvement this season, but it still wasn’t enough to solidify a regular role. His skating remained a concern, and in today’s NHL-where speed and mobility on the blue line are non-negotiable-that’s a tough hurdle to overcome.
The Rangers had originally sent a third-round pick to Vancouver to bring Soucy in, so flipping him now for another third-rounder at least partially offsets that cost. It’s not a perfect one-to-one, though.
Last year’s pick was at the top of the round; this one will likely fall somewhere in the middle to late portion. Still, draft capital is draft capital, and for a player who wasn’t in the team’s long-term plans, it’s a sensible move.
This trade also carries a bit of historical weight. It marks the first time the Rangers and Islanders have made a deal since 2010, when the Rangers sent defenseman Jyri Niemi across town for a sixth-round pick. That kind of intra-division transaction is rare, especially between two teams with as much shared history-and animosity-as these two.
For the Rangers, this is about asset management. They’re not just moving on from a player who didn’t fit; they’re reclaiming value and keeping future flexibility intact. Whether that third-round pick becomes a future contributor or is used in another deal down the line, it gives GM Chris Drury another chip to work with.
As for the Islanders, they’re betting on a change of scenery helping Soucy rediscover his game. He brings size and some defensive upside, and if they can get him into a more structured system that plays to his strengths, there’s a chance this could work out for them too.
But from the Rangers’ perspective, this is a clean break-and a smart one.