The Montreal Canadiens took a big step forward in 2024-25, and they’re looking for more progress after acquiring star defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Montreal sent a pair of first-round picks, along with forward Emil Heineman to New York, but Dobson may well be worth the cost.
This past season, the Canadiens ended a three-year playoff drought and looked like a team on the rise. With the team on an upward trajectory, general manager Kent Hughes took a big swing ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft. Montreal sent the No. 16 and No. 17 overall picks to the Isles for Dobson, a 25-year-old defenseman with great puck-moving skills.
Going back to 2021-22, Dobson has established himself as a great top-four defenseman in the NHL, and he hit the 70-point mark in 2024-25. On top of his offensive contributions, Dobson’s five-on-five impacts were terrific last year, and he looked like an elite two-way defender.
The Islanders have clearly embraced rebuilding mode, and they now have three first-round selections, including the No. 1 overall pick. How New York utilizes those picks will ultimately decided how this trade is perceived in the next three to five years.
Let’s take a look at how each side made out in this deal with Dobson going north of the border to Montreal.
The trade
Canadiens receive
-D Noah Dobson
Islanders receive
-2025 first-round pick (No. 16)
-2025 first-round pick (No. 17)
-F Emil Heineman
The grades
Montreal Canadiens
There had been smoke around Dobson due to his ongoing contract negotiations with the Islanders, and the Canadiens struck while the iron was hot. Montreal now has another skilled defenseman to pair with 2025 Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson on the back end, but was it worth the cost?
In short, yes. Dobson is a proven commodity in his prime. At his worst, he is a very good second-pairing defenseman. At his best, Dobson has shown potential to be a true No. 1 on the blue line. This past season provided some evidence for both. Dobson’s offense fell off quite a bit, but he still notched 39 points while posting a 54.5% expected goals share at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. His plus-three goal differential won’t stand out as special, but that had more to do with the team’s poor shooting percentage with Dobson on the ice.
As part of the trade, Dobson will sign an eight-year contract worth $9.5 million per season, according to Friedman. That’s a big investment for the Habs, but not when you consider his top-pairing potential and the fact that Hutson is on an entry-level contract at $950,000 for one more year.
Giving up a pair of first-round picks is a steep price, but what are the chances that one of those players becomes as good or better than Dobson, let alone both? If Montreal is going to assert itself as a Stanley Cup contender in the near future, Dobson is a much safer bet than any prospect the Habs could draft in the middle of the first round. Grade: A-
New York Islanders
The Islanders are changing course after years of being stuck in the mushy middle, and moving on from Dobson after fruitless contract negotiations will have major ripple effects, for better or worse. New York saved itself some money and loaded up on draft capital, but that doesn’t necessarily mean this was the right move.
As I discussed above, Dobson is a terrific defenseman with plenty of skill and size, and he’s still under the age of 26. The Islanders will almost certainly replace him with No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer at the NHL Draft, but there was a world where New York could have had both players. Pairing Dobson with Schaefer to lead the blue line, as the Canadiens are doing with Dobson and Hutson, could have been an elite combination for years to come.
That’s not to say the Islanders got fleeced in this deal. Two first-round picks is a nice return, and Heineman can provide some forward depth. Ultimately, how the Isles and their fans view this trade will be based upon what they do with picks Nos. 16 and 17. If they trade up and draft center James Hagens — and New York winds up with two franchise cornerstones in this draft class — it will have been a rousing success. If the prospects don’t pan out and Dobson thrives in Montreal, it will be seen as a colossal failure. For now, we’ll go somewhere in between. Grade: C+
