Well, folks, in the latest episode of “When Hockey Hurts,” Vancouver Canucks’ head honcho of coaching, Rick Tocchet, has spilled the beans that Carson Soucy, their fortified d-man, has sidelined himself for a sweet five-to-six week vacation thanks to a hand boo-boo. If you’re keeping score, that’s one shot block against the Maple Leafs, one hand heading to the mend, and a gabillion heartbroken fans.
This isn’t our first rodeo with Soucy’s disappearing acts – the guy has already played a disappearing act for some twenty-three games earlier this season with what I imagine was an injury acquired in some super-secret lower-body region. He was in for twenty-one games, pocketed six points, two handfuls of penalty minutes, and a shiny +6 to his name. Impressive, right? Well, whenever he’s not playing Houdini, he actually slaps on the pads for over seventeen minutes a game! That’s like an eternity on the Canucks’ ever-spinning defensive carousel.
Let’s not forget that the Canucks dug deep into their piggy bank and coughed up a cool $9.8MM on July 1st to keep Soucy’s magic tricks in Vancouver for three years. Math wizards, that’s $3.25MM being zapped from their cap space until the 2025-26 season curtains fall. For a high school team, that’s one heck of an investment, right?
Rewind to the good old days – 2013 to be precise. Soucy was a fresh-faced fifth-rounder hoping to make waves in the NHL. After grinding out four seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth – Go Bulldogs! – he dipped his toes into the pro scene with the Iowa Wild at the end of the 2016-17 season. Fast forward through a couple of AHL tours, and boom, he finally crashes the NHL party full-time in 2019-20, a memorable year when he wasn’t just a wall on the Minnesota Wild blueline but a fortress, racking up 14 points, some more penalty shenanigans, and a +16 that would make any self-respecting defenseman blush.
Ever been picked during recess? Well, Soucy was the top pick for the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft celebrity showdown. Two seasons of rainy coffee-loving Seattle later, and he’s now in the land of Canucks, working that blue line when – and it’s a big when – he’s not benched by the injury monster.
So, there you have it: the thrilling saga of Carson Soucy and his gnarly hand. Hang in there, Canuck nation – only five-to-six weeks until the next chapter.