There had been rumblings for quite some time that Noah Dobson was available from the New York Islanders, but people wondered if that might have changed with Lou Lamoriello's replacement by Mathieu Darche, but it hadn’t. By Friday morning, a few teams were said to be in the mix for the right-shot defenseman: the Montreal Canadiens (as first reported by Mario D’Amico), the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the St. Louis Blues. By lunchtime, we heard that it was down to Montreal and Columbus, and then, before 2:00 PM, the Habs emerged as the winner of the Dobson derby.
Acquiring a right-shot defenseman was one of the two major issues GM Kent Hughes faced this Summer, along with finding a second-line center. He can now cross the first item off his list, even though the draft hasn’t even been held yet. In the hours leading to the trade, there was plenty of speculation about what the return would have to be to land Dobson, and most agree that one of Logan Mailloux or David Reinbacher would have to go the other way. Still, neither of the promising young rearguard left the organization.
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To get Dobson, the Canadiens traded both of their first-round pick at this year’s draft (the 16th and 17th overall) and winger Emil Heineman. Interestingly, two of the three pieces involved in the deal came from the Calgary Flames: the pick from the Sean Monahan trade and Heineman from the Tyler Toffoli deal, one of Hughes’ very first with the team.
While there is no denying that a pair of first-round picks is significant value, it remains that the draft is a gamble. A mid-first-round pick can become a great player or never live up to their potential; you never know. In Dobson, the Canadiens are acquiring a player who has already demonstrated his capabilities in the NHL.
As for Heineman, he had a great rookie season with the Habs until it was derailed in Salt Lake City when he was hit by a car. Upon returning, he struggled to put points up, but he remained true to his style: a determined forechecker who could make a difference even with limited ice time. In just 62 games, the Swede landed 172 hits, the fourth highest total on the team, and an average of 2.79 hits per game. With his acquisition, the Isles will make up for part of the physicality they lost with Matt Martin’s retirement.
As for Dobson, he was the Islanders’ first pick at the 2018 draft, the 12th overall. He played his junior hockey in the QMJHL, spending parts of three seasons with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and the final part of his third year with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Over those three years, he won two Memorial Cups, one with each team.
The blueliner made the jump straight to the NHL after his junior career was over and progressed exponentially in his first three seasons, going from seven points to 14 and then 51 points in 2021-22. The following season, he dropped to 49 points before rising to 70 points in 79 games during the 2023-24 season. This past year, he struggled a bit offensively, ending the season with 39 points in 71 games. Still, Dobson has shown that he can deliver in the NHL, and there’s a reason why many teams were interested in his services.
Noah Dobson 2023-24 HighlightsFind more IslesDen Content here: youtube.com/@IslesDen?sub_confirmation=1On top of landing his man, Hughes also managed to sign his new rearguard to an eight-year pact with a $9.5 M cap hit. While this number may seem a bit high, it’s important to remember that the cap is going up significantly this upcoming season and the following two seasons as well. Dobson’s reported asking price was said to be between $10 million and $11 million, and if that was the case, this is a significant win for the GM.
Furthermore, Dobson’s contract should be a fair comparison for Lane Hutson’s contract extension and could go some way towards keeping the figure reasonable. Following the trade, the Canadiens are now without a first-round pick on Friday night, at least for now. It’s not impossible to see Hughes move again, as he's still working the phones as I write these lines.
Photo credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
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