Rangers Defenseman to Return to Lineup Following IR Stint

What does the 31 year old bring to the Rangers' lineup?

At morning skate, Soucy was seen partnering with Braden Schneider in drills.

Soucy stands at 6'4" and weight 211-pounds. He had one goal and was plus-two in the three games he played prior to going on IR.

“Souce brings an element of physicality to our blue line,’’ Sullivan said of Soucy's play prior to the injury. “He's long, he's rangy, he defends well with his stick, and I think he has decent puck skills. He can make outlet passes. He joins the rush. He sees it pretty well on the offensive blue line, as far as finding the backside flank, or resetting a puck, or just delivering a puck to the net, getting it through the first set of shin pads, which I think is a real important element of being a defenseman in today's game.’’

This latest roster move has also caused defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and forward Jonny Brodzinski to be the healthy scratches for the Blueshirts against the Wild.

Soucy has 88 points on his career so far across 28 goals and 60 assists. He was traded to the Rangers by Vancouver for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft back in March of 2025.

Puck drop against Minnesota (2-3-1) is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST. The Rangers must score within the first 7:19 in order to avoid breaking the 1928-29 Pittsburgh Pirates' record for the NHL's longest scoring drought on home ice to begin a new season.

Ahead of likely returning to the ice against the Wild, Soucy said he's feeling ready to get back out there.

“It looked worse than it was,’’ Soucy said after Monday’s morning skate. “It also didn't feel great at the time, [but it was] a little more, just shock when it happened. And then obviously a little stiff the next couple days. But I’ve been feeling good.”