Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy will hit free agency
Carson Soucy will leave the Seattle Kraken as an unrestricted free agent this weekend, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported on Tuesday.
Sounds like #SeaKraken defenseman Carson Soucy will be hitting the open market on Saturday.
Two sides had cordial discussions, but at this point, no indication they’re keeping him.
Kraken GM Ron Francis would have known there was a fair chance he would lose the defenseman for nothing going into the offseason because of a thin defensive UFA class.
His chances of keeping Soucy got even worse when the LA Kings extended Vladislav Gavrikov, Damon Severson joined the Blue Jackets on a $6.25 million AAV deal in a sign-and-trade, and news broke that veteran Dmitry Orlov was expecting a salary in the $8 million range.
Francis could not afford the market price for Soucy, who will likely become a rich man this summer despite finishing last among the Kraken’s regular defensemen in ice time and points.
Though Soucy did not log dominant minutes or see time on a power-play unit, he will be a significant loss for Seattle. On a Kraken team that prided itself on team-wide defense, Soucy finished third in blocked shots (96), fourth in hits (143), and fifth in rating (18). He and Justin Schultz formed one of the most reliable third pairs in the NHL.
Soucy’s play was a big part of Seattle’s major turnaround in 2022-2023 when they made their first-ever postseason appearance, bounced the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round, and took the Dallas Stars to seven games in the conference semifinals.
The strength of the Kraken was their fully committed defensive play and well-rounded roster. Though original team member Soucy will ply his trade elsewhere, Seattle will still have those genes intact next season.
Jack Adams-finalist Dave Hakstol instilled a team-wide philosophy of keeping pucks to the outside and quashing zone entries that paid dividends for the Kraken, who had a top-half defense despite a middling penalty kill and suspect goaltending; only Carolina allowed fewer shots per game than Seattle.
While Francis has over $20 million in cap space, raises for top defenseman Vince Dunn, Calder Trophy winner Matty Beniers, and the search for a reliable top-scorer could burn that money quickly. Soucy priced out Seattle with a strong season and weak free-agent market.