Vancouver Canucks just told every NHL team they want to trade Soucy: report
The Vancouver Canucks are serious about potentially trading defenceman Carson Soucy.
The 30-year-old is in the midst of a rough season. He’s playing the most minutes of his career but struggling to tread water, scoring just eight points in 52 games and recording a career-worst -15 thus far.
It’s a far cry from the solid, dependable minutes Soucy put in for the Canucks last season. While he was limited to just 40 regular season games last year, Soucy was a steady presence in the bottom four and elevated his game in the postseason, forming one-half of a shutdown pair with Tyler Myers.
The acquisition of Marcus Pettersson, and the emergence of young blueliner Elias Pettersson, has suddenly made the left side of the Canucks blue line very crowded. Soucy has been pushed out, spending time recently as a healthy scratch and on his off-side.
This has led to rumours of Soucy being on the trade block. He’s in the second year of a three-year contract that costs $3.25 million per season. He also has a full no-trade clause this season and a modified 12-team no-trade list next year.
The Soucy trade rumours are true, and the Canucks went so far as to send a leaguewide memo, alerting teams the veteran is on the block, earlier this week.
“They trade Miller on Friday, and Monday, they’re sending out a memo to all 31 other teams letting them know Carson Soucy is available,” said Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli on the DFO Rundown podcast.
Soucy is a great target for any team searching for defence depth. He proved in last year’s playoffs that he can be a contributor, and while he’s had a slow start this year, there’s still plenty of time to turn things around.
“I think just a tough start has led to not my best play,” Soucy said on Wednesday. “[I need to] get that confidence, get that aggressiveness back.”
If the Canucks do trade Soucy, they’re making a bet that the youngest Pettersson can contribute NHL minutes. He’s done so thus far, but it’s only been four games.
The trade deadline is roughly a month away on March 7. The Canucks are sure to be busy before then as they continue to tinker with their roster.