Peter Laviolette has been highly criticized for the way he’s managed the roster this season, and for good reason. Zac Jones had been toiling away in the press box while several worse defensemen played over him. Kaapo Kakko was healthy scratched for no reason. His in-game decisions have taken a turn for the worse. But recently he’s been finding life with his decisions, specifically making the tough decision sitting Carson Soucy when Adam Fox returned.

When the Rangers acquired Soucy, it was expected he would get time with Fox on the top pair. After all, Ryan Lindgren had just been traded and it looked like Jones would be as well. But it’s funny how injuries work. When Fox went down with his injury, Jones was thrust into a big role, playing steady minutes and quarterbacking the top powerplay unit.

Jones looked solid, though not without some defensive zone concerns. He earned his ice time and played very well, stabilizing what could have been a disastrous month without Fox. Soucy, meanwhile, struggled to adjust to the Rangers–even while playing with Jones–and looked more like the product he was this year in Vancouver instead of prior years with Seattle.

The issue for Soucy was in the defensive zone. While he was somewhat viable in shot attempts and possession, the Rangers surrendered many high danger chances against in his 4 games (4-5-5-4). That simply isn’t good enough for a guy brought in to help stabilize the defensive structure of the blue line.

Sitting Carson Soucy is the right call

With the Rangers barely clinging to a playoff spot, sitting Carson Soucy may seem shortsighted. After all, this year is supposed to be a blip for him, and the Rangers did surrender a high third round pick for him. But this is about points in the standings, not about trying out the new guy until he figures it out.

For those unfamiliar with the term “fail fast,” it’s a corporate strategy designed to test new things quickly, see what works and what doesn’t, and move forward accordingly. It doesn’t mean failing quickly and epically, it means seeing an issue and cutting bait fast. It’s too soon to tell if the Rangers are failing fast with Soucy, but with Jones excelling and Urho Vaakanainen looking surprisingly comfortable alongside Fox, Soucy is the odd man out.

For now, sitting Carson Soucy has been the only call to make. As long as Jones and Vaakanainen continue to excel, they give the Rangers the best chance at winning. It also behooves Chris Drury to let Jones cook and perhaps hang onto him for another year. The Rangers are clearly lacking puck movers on the blue line, and if Jones is truly able to grab onto the 3LD spot, then it’s a no brainer.

While some may look at this as saying the trade failed, well it may have. All trades have a possibility of failing. To that, you may want to ask yourself if it makes sense to force something that isn’t working just because a trade was made. That’s what failing fast avoids. Just because the trade happened doesn’t mean it 1) will work, and 2) should be forced if it isn’t.

It’s only been 4 games with Soucy

Sitting Carson Soucy after just 4 games may not seem like a good idea, and that’s fine. This is such a grey area that we don’t know if it’s simply an adjustment period or whether Soucy truly needs to be viewed as a lost cause in this system. It’s unfair to judge him after 4 games, especially after the Rangers have looked good with Jones and Fox in the lineup.

It’s likely this isn’t permanent. Soucy will get games. There will be bumps and bruises. There will be injuries. Perhaps there will be lineup galaxy brains in the playoffs should the Rangers get there. After all, we saw how Laviolette galaxy brained some decisions in last year’s playoffs.

The silver lining is pretty straight forward. Sitting Carson Soucy gives him an opportunity to watch the system from up top and learn where he needs to be. If this was said in December, you’d laugh. But the Rangers have been far more structured and better of late. The defense put on a clinic against both Minnesota and Columbus while also looking good against Edmonton. This is how these things go.

Sitting Carson Soucy may not be the popular decision given the trade. But the Rangers are playing well. Is sitting Carson Soucy the best path forward? Perhaps. Perhaps not. We won’t know until the Rangers either solidify a playoff spot or collapse on themselves.

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