The Vancouver Canucks have traded defenceman Carson Soucy to the New York Rangers for a third-round pick, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The Rangers weren't expected to be in the market as buyers but they instead opt to bolster their blueline with Soucy, who was set up to be one of the most highly-sought after defencemen heading into Friday's trade deadline.

New York sit just outside of a wild card spot with a 31-26-5 record and tied with the Ottawa Senators at 67 points. The Rangers are listed with -111 odds to make the playoffs and have an over/under for regular season points set at 88.5 which could make the over look like a solid bet if they continue to add.

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The Canucks are in a identical position as they sit just outside of the second wild card spot in the East with a 28-22-11 record and are tied with the Calgary Flames at 67 points. Vancouver has -122 odds to make the playoffs and have an over/under for regular season points set at 90.5 which could make the under look like a solid bet if they continue to sell off pieces.

Soucy is a 30-year-old defensive defenceman, who enters his seventh NHL season and is coming off a solid campaign last season, where he played meaningful minutes and was a crucial part of the Canucks backend with an 17:29 average time on ice. He's played a bigger role this season due to the amount of injuries on the Canucks blue line and has been able to fit in several roles with his minutes jumping sporadically depending one the situation.

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Canucks' Carson Soucy Dealt to New York Rangers for Third-Round Pick