New York Rangers Healthy Scratch Expensive Trade Deadline Acquisition

The New York Rangers were highly aggressive at the trade deadline, and adding to the massive moves they made earlier in the year, they acquired massive defenseman Carson Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks.

In four games played since the trade, Soucy has 1 goal and a -2 differential, but ahead of their latest must-win game, the coaching staff has made a shocking decision.

According to reports, with star blue liner Adam Fox coming back, the team have decided to healthy scratch Soucy, who hasn't been playing up to his potential since arriving in New York.

With Zac Jones and Braden Schneider both taking steps forward in recent times, Soucy is simply the odd man out, and even with his intimidating stature at 6-foot-5, the team seemingly don't have a place for him in the lineup, making the trade even more confusing, and unsurprisingly, Rangers fans haven't been too happy about it.

With 16 games remaining on their schedule, the Rangers are tied for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with the Columbus Blue Jackets, making every game ahead of them must-win, and if the coaching staff don't believe Soucy helps them do just that, scratching him makes sense.

Ultimately, this trade was a little confusing at the time, and now with his healthy scratch it makes even less sense, and while a third-round pick won't help them contend for a Stanley Cup in the next year or two, it's an asset that they could and should have likely used elsewhere.