Carson Soucy’s days as a Vancouver Canuck could be numbered. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Canucks have made the defenceman available for trade.

The Canucks signed Soucy to a three-year deal with an annual average value of $3.25 million during free agency 2023. Soucy’s first season in Vancouver was undoubtedly a success, as he established himself as the Canucks’ clear-cut number three defenceman behind Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek. This season — the second of his three-year contract — hasn’t been as kind to him though, as he’s struggled all season long to find the form that made him successful in 2023-24.

Soucy’s struggles culminated in him being a healthy scratch for the Canucks’ game against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, which head coach Rick Tocchet said he hoped would be good “reset” for the 30-year-old.

The simple fact of the matter is that with Hughes and the recently acquired Marcus Pettersson ahead of him, Soucy has likely lost his spot in the top four of the Canucks’ defence group. Although he has played the right side in the past, the left-shot Soucy will see his minutes cut if he remains with the Canucks. Not to mention that the Canucks have made it well-known that they expect to extend Marcus Pettersson on a long-term deal, which further complicates Soucy’s future in Vancouver.

Soucy’s contract carries a full no-trade clause, which he’d need to waive in order to facilitate a trade. Per Puck Pedia, Soucy’s trade protection turns into a 12-team no-trade list on July 1st, when he enters the final year of his deal.

The Canucks’ current management regime haven’t hesitated to find new homes for players that aren’t meeting expectations. Soucy could be the next name on a list of players that just grew larger last week when the Canucks sent Vincent Desharnais and Danton Heinen to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the trade that brought Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor to Vancouver.