The Montreal Canadiens are set to acquire high-scoring defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, per NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes. The deal was later confirmed by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who shares that the Islanders signed Dobson to a maximum-term, eight-year contract before moving him to Montreal. That extension will carry a total value of $76MM, or an annual average value of $9.5MM.
In return, the Islanders will receive both of Montreal’s draft picks in the 2025 first-round – picks 16 and 17 – as well as forward prospect Emil Heineman, per Friedman.
After multiple days of rumors, Montreal has landed the big fish in high-end scorer Dobson. The move will give Montreal more oomph to an already high-octane offensive group manning their blue-line. Dobson managed a career-year at the age of just 24 during the 2023-24 campaign, when he managed 10 goals and 70 points in 79 games. He became the first Islanders defenseman since Stanley Cup-winner Denis Potvin to reach the 60-assist mark.
That breakout performance was a gradual ramp-up after Dobson managed 13 goals and 51 points in 2021-22, and 13 goals and 49 points in 2022-23. He’s climbed the ranks of offensive output and reached double-digit goals in every full season of his NHL career. That includes reaching 10 goals again this year, though his point total took a surprising tumble to 39 points in 71 games played.
That sudden spike in scoring, and a fall to a minus-16 after posting a plus-12 last year, brought out many skeptics to Dobson’s overall upside. But it’s worth noting that New York scored the fifth-fewest goals in the NHL this season (222), 23 fewer than they managed in Dobson’s breakout campaign in 2024. A bulk of that decrease can be attributed to Islanders’ star forward Mathew Barzal missing all but 30 games of this season, after leading the Islanders in scoring in 2023-24.
Dobson’s scoring totals are near-second-to-none in the league. He ranks fifth among U25 defensemen in total goals scored over the last five seasons (49), behind Cale Makar (104), Rasmus Dahlin (70), Evan Bouchard (54), and Quinn Hughes (51). Dobson also ranks sixth in total points (223) behind Makar (378), Hughes (353), Dahlin (275), Adam Fox (266), and Bouchard (237).
But Dobson’s defensive prowess remains scrutinized. Among the same sample – U25 defenders over the last five years – only seven players have been on the ice for more goals-against than Dobson’s 346. He’s also been on the ice for the eighth-most expected goals-against (xGA; 385.53), per Evolving Hockey. Of the bunch, he boasts the fourth-best goal-differential (+82).
There’s a lot to like, and a lot to be nervous about in how Dobson has blazed his path through his first four full seasons in the NHL. But that argument aside, there seems no denying that he’s among the sheer best, young offensive-defensemen in the NHL. His growth into a star, top-pair role in New York far exceeded the 12th-overall draft spot he earned in the 2018 NHL Draft – and likely exceeds the paths any options at Montreal’s previous 16th and 17th overall slots this year would have yielded. He’s a premier scorer, and will join another emerging superstar on Montreal’s defense in Lane Hutson. Hutson reached the 60-assist mark as a 20-year-old rookie this season, and earned the Calder Trophy because of it.
Both Hutson and Dobson dominate possession on their line – and excel at gaining momentum through their drives in the neutral zone. They’ll be elusive and effective play-drivers, but man need to play off of each other’s pairings to give Montreal the best results. That will be where other young Montreal defenders have a chance to step up – with Kaiden Guhle and David Reinbacher likely the future glue pieces holding the offensive-stars down. How Montreal pursues that deployment, or even if they’ll maintain their current structure at all, will be headlines worth following through the rest of the summer.
Meanwhile Heineman will fall as the unheralded addition to a draft-day blockbuster. The 23-year-old winger played through his rookie NHL season in Montreal’s bottom-six this year. He managed 10 goals and 18 points through 62 games, though looked in need of a spark through multiple points in the year. This move marks the third time that Heineman has been moved by his NHL club – after previously being traded from the Florida Panthers to the Calgary Flames in a 2021 deal that landed Florida Sam Bennett; then from the Flames to the Canadiens in a 2022 trade that sent Tyler Toffoli to Calgary.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.
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They really needed a high scoring defenseman
So they must have someone taking price or Laine.
I didn’t know Quebec was a no-tax province.
I don’t get this trade from any perspective.
I don’t understand it either Gbear. I know Dobson wanted a lot but he’s in his prime has the potential as we already saw to put up 60+ points and is a good all around dman this is what Long Island needs. I know their prospect cupboard is bare but this seems nonsensical. And MTL has Hutson so while Dobson is a far better all around defender I just don’t see the match. Plus they got guys that are gonna need to get paid soon.
Yeah MTL is obviously better but committing $20mm+ going forward to two fairly similar d-men doesn’t make sense in my book. They’re going to start looking a lot like EDM with decent skill but lack of goaltending is going to hurt them.
from a NYI perspective, Dobson didnt want to sign with NYI, NYI was drafting his replacement in Schaefer and NYI really wants J Hagens in the draft.
from a MTL perspective, Dobson becomes your #1 RD and your #1 or #2 PP guy. MTL will now have Reinbacher/Hudson/Dobson/Guhle for the future. Thats an insane top 4 D pairing. MTL can pay Hutson next offseason when Matheson 4.875 and Laine 8.7 come off the books and Reinbacher is cheap for another 3 years. FL just showed everyone your 3rd D paid can be paid nothing.
But how does this get them in a position to get Hagens?
they now have picks 16 & 17 … based on reports I am reading they think PHI or BOS at 6 and 7 are interested in trading down for 16 & 17
Lessons learned from certain teams being too loaded on the front end. Trades like this hurt but you have to pay to get quality. Seems they Dach can be their answer at 2nd line Center!
Would be so funny to see Boston draft 16-17 would be reminiscent of the Debrusk draft
The Islanders suck and should rebuild, so there’s that
Honestly a healthy barzal and they were probably a playoff team.
That’s a big swing for Les Habitants, I hope Kent Hughes knows what he’s doing.
This draft sucks, so I don’t think they paid much in picks. Whether it works out, we’ll see, but they should be trying to get better now.
Are the Islanders rebuilding?
No they just don’t want to pay for subs ok
Not true, Darche extended Palmieri.
The Isles are going to overpay to get into the top 5-7 and block out the Pens options to move up. Lame.
Nice work by Darche, though.
Seems a little bit of a soft return for the Islanders. 1st round picks are nice but the guy is 24. Just not sure what Montreal is thinking
Should have said not sure what the islanders are thinking
Not a bad move at all for Montreal, Dobson put up 70 points a year ago, 230 career points in 388 games, He’s only 25, And alot bigger than Hutson.
I think it’s a fair deal overall. Montreal has solidified their first defensive line with Lane Hutson & the newly acquired Noah Dobson. They have a defensive pair that have a strong possession game and could be highly effective in play driving for Montreal.
Meanwhile, New York is on a rebuild of sorts and re-establishing its foundation under new GM Matthieu Darche.
That first line defense is going to be awful in there own zone. Dobson is well below average defensively and Hutson is as well. Big playoff games they can’t be a tandem. They need strong d men to compliment their style.
Instead of describing Denis Potvin as ‘Stanley Cup winner’ perhaps Hall-of-Famer or Top 100 All-Time NHLer would be more apropos. Hagens? Da!!