Canucks sign defenceman Carson Soucy to three-year free agent contract
The Vancouver Canucks have added another defenceman in free agency, signing defenceman Carson Soucy to a three-year deal.
The contract is worth $3.25 million per season.
Soucy will have trade protection in his new deal, with a full no-trade clause in the first two years, according to CapFriendly. The final year of the contract becomes a modified no-trade clause, with Soucy submitting a 12-team no-trade list.
Carson Soucy #Canucks
$3.25M x 3Breakdown:
23-24: $2.5M + $1.5M SB (Full NTC)
24-25: $3.25M (Full NTC)
25-26: $2.5M (12 team no-trade list)https://t.co/ttb9yAiqhh— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) July 1, 2023
“Carson will provide stability and size to our back end,” said Canucks GM Patrik Allvin. “He is a player who uses his big frame to his advantage, plays a sound defensive game and also has the tools to chip in offensively. His experience playing a man down will be a great asset for our penalty kill this coming season.”
Soucy, 28, played the last two seasons with the Seattle Kraken. The 6-foot-6 blueliner was sixth on their depth chart in terms of minutes-played by defencemen (16:18 per game). Soucy received the third-most shorthanded minutes (1:42 per game) among Kraken defencemen.
Soucy is the third new player the Canucks have added to the organization today through free agency, as defenceman Ian Cole and centre Teddy Blueger have also signed with Vancouver. Both Soucy and Cole are left-shot defencemen, but both have experience playing the right side.
All three players have extensive experience killing penalties, which is an area the Canucks need desperate help. Vancouver finished with the NHL’s worst penalty kill percentage last year, at 71.6%.
The three signings appear to check a few boxes for the team, which was in need of at least two top-four defencemen and a third-line centre. While Soucy didn’t play top-four minutes for Seattle last season, his $3.25 million salary suggests the Canucks think he can.
The Canucks now have five defencemen under contract that were NHL regulars last year, with Soucy and Cole joining Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, and Tyler Myers.
Three former Canucks defencemen, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Luke Schenn, and Kyle Burroughs, have found new homes today, signing free agent contracts with other teams.