Overview
- The Blue Jackets announced on Sept. 13 that they signed veteran defenseman Carson Soucy to a professional tryout (PTO) to bring him into camp and the preseason.
- General manager Don Waddell described Soucy as a big, physical stay‑at‑home defender who blocks shots and clears the net and said the team looks forward to evaluating him in camp.
- Under the PTO Soucy can earn a contract with Columbus but he is not exclusive to the club and may sign with any team that offers him a deal based on his preseason play.
- Soucy, who played 76 games in 2025–26 with the Rangers and Islanders and has 441 career games and 99 points, arrives as a projected bottom‑pair, penalty‑kill specialist who will compete for minutes with players such as Jake Christiansen.
- Columbus’s roster depth and salary cap work — including the team’s remaining cap space and pending RFA choices like Adam Fantilli — will shape whether the PTO converts to a contract and make late‑September preseason games the key evaluation window.