Rangers Trading Carson Soucy To Islanders: Report

Rangers general manager Chris Drury recently prepared fans for roster retooling ahead of the NHL's trade deadline, and it appears the first move of their sell-off involves their city rival as a business partner.

The Rangers and Islanders are finalizing their first swap since 2010, with defenseman Carson Soucy being shipped to Long Island in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

Soucy, who was acquired from the Canucks in exchange for a third-rounder last March, has logged eight points (three goals, five assists) across 46 games for the Rangers this season.

In what the Rangers called a "roster management" decision, Soucy didn't suit up for Monday's home matchup against the Bruins.

The price for the 31-year-old veteran was welcomed by the banged-up Islanders, positioned to add as current owners of third place (59 points) in the uber-competitive Metropolitan Division race.

They've already seen goals leader Bo Horvat miss lengthy stretches of time with lower-body injuries, and Alexander Romanov underwent potentially season-ending shoulder surgery in November. Ryan Pulock is also considered day-to-day with an upper-body issue.

Soucy's departure is the Rangers' first domino to fall, with just over a month before the league's March 6 trade deadline. In his mid-January letter to the fanbase that signaled a direction shift, Drury mentioned the possibility of popular and respected players seeing the chopping block.

With the retooling in mind, stars Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere have been mentioned in trade rumors. A change of scenery seems inevitable for Panarin, who has already been told by the Rangers he won't receive a contract extension.

"We are not going to stand pat -- a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team," Drury wrote in his letter. "This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects."

The Rangers entered Monday as the Metro Division's cellar dwellers, with a 21-25-6 season recorrd (48 points) and minus-23 goal differential.