The Montreal Canadiens had a good season and capped it off with an unexpected playoff appearance, but that doesn’t mean the rebuild is over—far from it. To be genuine contenders, however, it may be time to acquire something besides prospects and very young players.
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Numerous rumours throughout the season have suggested that the New York Islanders may be open to trading Noah Dobson. The 25-year-old, six-foot-four, 200-pound defenseman has shown what he can do in this league in the past. He has played for parts of six seasons on Long Island, for 388 games, in which he gathered 230 points and 118 penalty minutes.
In 2023-24, he reached a career-high of 70 points in 79 games, not far off a point-per-game pace that is quite impressive for a blueliner, but he fell back to earth this season when he could only muster 39 points in 71 games.
He’s just played the third year of his three-year contract with a $4M cap hit. In February, he moved from Maloney & Thompson sports management to Wasserman Hockey, where his agents will be Judd Moldaver and Olivier Fortier. The latter will be leading the way. Fortier has two players contracted with the Canadiens: Owen Beck and Joshua Roy, both of whom are ELC contracts. He’s the agent who got Alexis Lafreniere a seven-year extension with a $7.45M cap hit annually. All of his clients, apart from Beck, are French-Canadians.
Interestingly, Fortier is a former Canadiens prospect. The organization drafted him in the third round in 2007, but when he realized his NHL dream wouldn’t come to fruition, he gave up hockey to study law and joined Momentum Hockey, a Quebec-based agency that joined Wasserman Hockey last September.
While Dobson will be an RFA soon, I think Kent Hughes would rather make a trade with the Islanders than sign the defenseman to an offer sheet. The Canadiens’ GM has traded with the Isles in the past, although business must be slow for the New York outfit as the search for a new GM to replace Lou Lamoriello continues.
The Canadiens currently hold two consecutive first-round picks at the 2025 draft, picking 16th and 17th. Hughes has already shown he’s not opposed to trading draft picks or young talent to fill a need. Hughes sent Alexander Romanov to the Islanders in his first draft at the helm for two picks: their first-round pick (at 13 overall) and a fourth-round pick (98th overall). Hughes then flipped those to the Chicago Blackhawks for Kirby Dach in his search for the ever-elusive second-line center.
Dobson’s profile fits the kind of projects Hughes likes to take on, although he could be a bit more expensive, having already shown he can succeed offensively in the NHL. A smooth skater and a player with a knack for launching an attack, he spent an average of over 23 minutes on the ice this season in New York. He would make an excellent partner for Lane Hutson and immediately shore up the Canadiens’ defense, especially with David Savard’s departure.
Would Hughes be able to sell him a “show me” deal like he did with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook? Maybe, although the agency swap may mean he’s looking for a longer-term deal, if there’s anyone who can sell the Canadiens’ rebuild to a player, it’s Hughes. However, Dobson’s situation is particular, as he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season, unless he signs a long-term pact. It remains to be seen if the Isles' new management wants to move Dobson, but the offer sheet remains an option if they don't.
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The Florida Panthers are gearing up for what should be one heck of a night.
Sunday will be Game 7 between the Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It will be the biggest hockey game played in Toronto in decades, and Scotiabank Arena will be an absolute madhouse.
For the Panthers, they have been through these kind of stressful postseason situations several times over the past few years.
That experience goes a long way when it comes to preparing for a winner-take-all Game 7.
“From going through it together countless times, it’s comforting,” said Panthers forward Sam Reinhart. “You know what you’re going to expect out of the guy next to you, and that’s his best at a time like this. We’re excited for another opportunity to play in another big game like this.”
"The messages, chemistry, intensity and how we prepare for it is all the same,” added Cats defenseman Aaron Ekblad. “Nothing changes. It’s getting our bodies ready and feeling the best we can coming into it.”
Don’t be surprised to see a bit of a different look when the Panthers take the ice.
Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice rarely tweaks the roster after playoff wins, but he will often use losses to move players in and out of the lineup.
The infusion of players like Evan Rodrigues, who has been day-to-day while battling an injury, and skilled rookie Mackie Samoskevich, could provide a boost to the Cats.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Game 6 against the Maple Leafs:
Evan Rodrigues – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Mackie Samoskevich – Nico Sturm – Jesper Boqvist
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov
Scratches: A.J. Greer, Uvis Balinskis, Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, Jaycob Megna
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Photo caption: Photo caption: May 14, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen (27) and defenseman Seth Jones (3) congratulate defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) on his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period of game five of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Florida Panthers still have some work to do if they want to reach the conference final.
A win on Sunday night in Game 7 will punch Florida’s ticket to Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes are waiting to find out who they’ll be matched up against.
Late Saturday, after the Dallas Stars knocked out the Winnipeg Jets to advance to the Western Conference Final, the NHL released the full schedule for both conference finals.
As we still don’t know if it will be Florida or Toronto facing the Hurricanes, the league released two options for the Eastern Conference.
Should Florida advance, Game 1 against Carolina would be Tuesday night at 8 p.m. from Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
Home games for Panthers fans to attend would be on Saturday, May 24, Monday, May 26 and Friday, May 30.
You can check out the full schedule below:
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Photo caption: May 18, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) reacts after scoring the game winning goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the fourth overtime period of game one in the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
The Dallas Stars defeated the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in overtime in Game 6, eliminating the Jets and sending themselves to the Western Conference Finals for a rematch against the Edmonton Oilers.
The first period ended scoreless, with little going on in terms of offence. The shots finished 6-4 in favour of the Stars.
The second period brought some offence by way of none other than Mark Scheifele, scoring the opening goal just mere hours after his father passed away. Unfortunately for the Jets, Sam Steel recorded his first goal of the postseason to tie the game. The period favoured the Jets, outshooting the Stars 12-8.
Josh Morrissey awkwardly fell to the ice while tangled with Mikko Rantanen, forcing him to exit the game, and he did not return for the third period.
In the third, Mason Appleton had a glorious chance to take the lead, but a last-ditch effort by Jake Oettinger stoned the Jets forward, keeping the game tied at a goal apiece. Connor Hellebuyck made a pair of his own highlight-reel saves in the third period, denying Mikael Granlund of a sure goal and Rantanen, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, the Stars capitalized on their power play opportunity, which carried over from the end of the period. Thomas Harley found space in the slot, hammering the game-winner past Hellebuyck and sending the Stars to the Western Conference Finals.
The Jets' season comes to an end at an earlier stage than the team and the fans were hoping for. The Jets struggled on the road, losing all six games throughout the first two rounds. The Jets now head into an offseason filled with question marks. With several free agents, the Jets' general manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff, will have his hands full.
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