Why Islanders trade with Rangers makes sense now

The trade market has made an interesting turn, bringing the New York Islanders into the picture on Monday. A rumor divulged by Vincent Mercogliano and Mollie Walker and reported here on Eyes on Isles, posited that the Isles were looking to land New York Rangers impending UFA defenseman, Carson Soucy.

Then, news broke that Soucy would be withheld from the Rangers' game against the Boston Bruins on Monday night. That situation led to speculation about the deal happening soon. Later on Monday night, ESPN's Emily Kaplan confirmed the deal.

In essence, the Soucy trade make sense for the Islanders at this point in the season. The club is dealing with numerous injuries on the backend. Of course, the biggest one has been the loss of Alexander Romanov earlier this season.

However, there is a growing sense of urgency with the potential loss of Ryan Pulock. Pulock missed the game against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. He was also out of the lineup on Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. With Pulock out, the Islanders would be down two key defensemen, forcing the club to turn to younger pieces like Travis Mitchell, Cole McWard, and Isaiah George.

While it’s good for the Islanders to give younger defensemen an opportunity to play, it’s not quite what a team with playoff aspirations needs.

Hence, bringing in Soucy is a good idea. The need for a veteran presence to stabilize the backend, even with Pulock back in the fold, makes perfect sense right now. With Pulock in the fold, Patrick Roy can continue deploying Matthew Schaefer with Pulock. Meanwhile, Adam Pelech and Tony DeAngelo could remain together, as Carson Soucy and Scott Mayfield could make an interesting pair.

That said, adding Soucy provides the Islanders with much-needed flexibility. That flexibility will be critical once the sprint to the finish begins following the Olympic break.

Islanders were wise to get Soucy for the right price

Carson Soucy is not going to light the world on fire. He’s a defensive blueliner with some offensive upside. This season, he’s chipped in three goals and eight points in 46 games for the New York Rangers.

That’s not really impressive. But his size (6’5”, 212 pounds) and his overall solid defensive play are what the Islanders need at this point. Soucy can deliver sobering play on the backend, allowing Matthew Schaefer to continue feeding the highlight reel.

The move seems fine especially since it didn't come at a high cost. The Rangers will want to get as much as they can in order to fuel their rebuild. But that drive to add pieces didn't come at the Islanders' expense.

Landing Soucy for a third-round pick is perfectly fine. While paying something like a first or second-round pick for Soucy would have been outrageous, a third-rounder is something the Isles can easily stomach.

While there would also be the matter of re-signing him after the season, the deal, nonetheless, makes good sense for the Islanders at this moment. The Islanders' blue line will be better off especially when Pulock comes back. Adding Soucy to the mix will reduce the reliance on depth defensive options from Bridgeport. This trade figures to be a solid win for Mathieu Darche.