Vancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy is expected to miss five to six weeks with a hand injury.
Carson Soucy has already missed two injuries this season. He is now expected to miss several more weeks.
Soucy injured his left knee during the preseason and was sidelined for the first two games of the season, then was sidelined for two months after taking a puck to the back of his left foot in November.
Fortunately, Sucy’s left leg was saved this time. Instead, he reportedly has an injury to his right hand, but head coach Rick Tocchet was quick to claim “basically any uppercut” to avoid specifics.
“He’s probably going to be out for five or six weeks,” Tocchet said. “Yeah, it’s a big day off for him, he can’t get any time off.”
Soucy blocked a shot that hit him in the right hand during Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Although he finished his shift, Soucy did not return to the game, missing the entire third period.
It was an innocent-looking play. Mitch Marner took a wrist shot after Soucy put his hand on his stick and intentionally knocked it to the side. But Soucy reacted quickly, checking his right hand repeatedly throughout the rest of the shift, looking uncomfortable.
This was Soucy’s only blocked shot of the game.
While this is a tough break for Soucy, perhaps in a literal sense, it’s also a tough one for the Canucks, who have relied heavily on Soucy since his return to the lineup, in terms of role rather than playing time.
At 5-on-5, Soucy primarily plays a matchup role alongside Tyler Myers on the second pair and always faces stiff competition.Among Canucks defensemen, only Filip Hronek spent a higher percentage of his ice time playing against elite players. According to PuckIQ.
Despite his demanding duties, Soucy maintains solid fundamental numbers with a score-adjusted Corsi percentage and expected goals percentage of over 50%. More than that, he elevated Tyler Myers’ game. Without Soucy, Myers’ Corsi rating is 48.8%. Soucy’s Corsi is 51.2%.
In other words, Soucy helps control the Canucks’ 5-on-5 play, using his long reach and good positioning to break up plays, breaking up the puck cleanly with smooth skating and calm passing, and improving his ability in the defensive zone. This will prevent you from traveling for a long time. . Ironically, Soucy’s injury occurred during an unusually long shift in which he was stuck in the defensive zone, illustrating the dangers of spending too much time on his own edge of the ice.
Beyond 5-on-5, Soucy also plays a key role on the penalty kill, taking the ice for the lowest goal percentage of any Canucks defenseman. Penalty killing has become popular recently, Nullified 44 of the past 50 penalties In the last 18 games. Soucy’s return in early January certainly boosted this poundage.
Fortunately for the Canucks, they have some depth on defense. Noah Julsen, who was sidelined when Soucy returned, has improved significantly since the start of the season and is expected to return to action, while the Canucks also called up Mark Friedman from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. ing. He scored 4 goals in 4 games.
“That’s why D depth is so important,” Tocchet says. ”[Juulsen] Really he was out when he still could have played for us. What I like about him is that he’s prepared and he works hard at practice. That’s why it’s important to have a guy of character who is a team member and ready. I’m not worried about Noah because he’s been playing well for us.”
Still, Soucy’s absence could disrupt the Canucks’ bracket for Monday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. In the morning skate, Quinn Hughes was paired with Myers, while Hronek skated in the second pair with Nikita Zadorov. As a result, Ian Cole was reunited with Julsen for a third pairing.
