A larger Soviet fleet creates more battles, not one simple answer

Would a larger Soviet surface fleet have pushed Allied carriers toward a new nuclear-strike role?

Not automatically. It would chiefly create more naval battles across more theatres rather than dictate one new carrier design.

A larger Soviet surface fleet would not automatically produce a simple one-for-one shift toward a new nuclear carrier-strike model. Western navies would probably win many individual engagements. The harder change is that there would be more such battles in more parts of the world. The counterfactual alters geographic burden and operational tempo more than it dictates a single replacement weapon.