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New York Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
What the Noah Dobson acquisition means for what the Canadiens are hoping to accomplish
MONTREAL — Team-building in the NHL is a complicated process, one mired with pitfalls and obstacles and plans that go awry. There are numerous examples of teams that went through a rebuilding process that never came out the other side, or at least haven't yet. Even two of the biggest rebuild success stories, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, have not yet claimed the ultimate prize despite drafting generational players to build around. Advertisement The Montreal Canadiens don't have generational players. They have not even come close to sniffing at that prize. But Friday's acquisition of defenceman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders signals a seismic shift in how the Canadiens are approaching their rebuild. They have firmly exited a rebuild and entered a team-building phase, which is one step closer to entering a contending phase. In Dobson, the Canadiens believe they have acquired not only a crucial piece of their eventual championship puzzle, but also a player who shares that belief that there is in fact a championship puzzle being put together here. Dobson's fit as a player in that puzzle is almost less important than Dobson's belief in that puzzle, because his belief came from the outside, from an interested observer wondering where to continue his career. As a legitimate top-pairing, puck-moving, right-shot defenceman, Dobson would have been a coveted piece across the league. But what the Canadiens are building excited him and he wanted in, and that should be exciting to Canadiens fans who have been searching for a light in the tunnel of this rebuild. This sign-and-trade with the Islanders, this decision by Dobson to eagerly jump in on what is happening in Montreal, should serve as that light. 'Without hesitation, it was a no-brainer for me,' Dobson, 25, said of the decision to sign an eight-year contract worth $9.5 million a year to commit his prime years to the Canadiens. 'Just the opportunity to be part of the Montreal Canadiens, it's an honour. It's the best hockey market in the world. The fans are incredible. I love playing at the Bell Centre. 'And then just also the group of players they have already, the talent they have on the team and what they've been building. I'm just super excited to join that group and add to it, and I'm excited about what we can do down the road here in the future.' Advertisement It is the last part that is vital to what this means for the Canadiens and where they are in their rebuild, because it has been ages since a player in his prime felt that way about this team. And Dobson got that sense through word of mouth. He played for Team Canada in the most recent World Championships with Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson and has a history with Nick Suzuki from the 2019 Canadian world juniors team. 'I think Martin St. Louis has a great reputation throughout the league as a coach and a person,' Dobson said. 'What I heard as a group, they enjoy coming to the rink every day. It's a fun group, a tight-knit group. They've got a great mix of lots of young kids and veterans as well. Everyone just enjoys being together as a group and they have a great time. They try and make it fun and make it exciting to go to the rink every day. 'As a player, that's all you can ask for.' And since Dobson feels that way, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is hopeful it will lead to more players feeling that way. 'I think it also probably makes it a more attractive place to play for a prospective forward, whether that's this year or in the future,' Hughes said late Friday night. 'We've talked about getting players who could help out in our top-six, but if we could have a team that we hope to have, similar to Florida where they're rolling two real good lines – well, they have three – but both lines would want a puck-moving D out there to get them pucks and moving. 'So I think in that regard, when the puzzle's complete, we're going to have more puck-movers to move through our lineup.' Hughes says he has spent the last three weeks on the phone 'nearly every waking hour' trying to improve his team. The Canadiens continue to say they are not desperate to improve right away, that they are not willing to do anything stupid, but there was definitely pressure on the organization to build on its first playoff berth of this rebuild, to not take a step back, to make a tangible improvement. Advertisement This move accomplished that, in more ways than one. The first is the hockey part, that the Canadiens now have two top-end puck-moving defencemen in Dobson and Calder Trophy-winner Lane Hutson that they can deploy on two pairings, potentially having an elite puck-mover on the ice for 45 to 50 minutes a game. Even if the Canadiens don't succeed in finding a top-six forward to help their second line – and Hughes says he is still trying to do that – that alone should improve the offensive performance of the forwards the Canadiens already have. 'I think if you look at how we play, we try to deny pucks a lot and deny ice and we send a lot of D back, if their D partner's up holding the blue line and they're going back to retrieve,' Hughes said. 'His ability to retrieve pucks and spring the offence for us was a big piece. We've seen how Lane's done that for us this year. We're confident. We did a lot of homework on (Dobson), a lot of people that have coached him.' The reason Hughes felt the need to express confidence in the research the Canadiens did on Dobson is he is coming off a down year, as he followed up a career-high 70 points last season with 39 points this season. Hughes called it an outlier, and over the course of Dobson's career, it would appear to be. But Dobson characterized it more as a learning experience, one that should now benefit the Canadiens. 'I think it was a difficult season at times as a whole, not just individually, but as a team,' Dobson said. 'We struggled to score a lot, collectively as a team, especially earlier in the year. The team dealt with a lot of injuries, a lot of moving parts moving in and out. Like any season, there's highs and lows throughout that. 'I think just taking the learning experience, dealing with, as a team and individually, struggling to score and produce and having to find ways to be effective each night when things aren't going in was something I really tried to learn from and grow and evolve.' Advertisement There is some mild risk here from a hockey perspective, considering how Dobson's season went, but it's mitigated by the three years of excellent hockey he played prior. He is a top-pair defenceman, despite how this season went, and the Canadiens paid a top-pair-defenceman price in both acquisition cost and with the contract, which is structured very favourably for Dobson. Noah Dobson 8 year $9.5M Cap Hit #Isles/#GoHabsGo sign & trade: Yr 1/2/3: 1M Base & 11M Signing BonusYr 4: 5M Base & 5M SBYr 5: 8.4M BaseYr 6/7/8: 7.2M Base Years 2-8: 14 Team No Trade Clause Rep'd by Olivier Fortier @wassermanhockey — PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) June 28, 2025 But more than the hockey fit, the signal the Dobson acquisition sends is almost of greater importance. It signals an emergence from a rebuild, and a willingness to smooth out the imperfections in the Canadiens' roster in order to build one capable of winning the Stanley Cup down the road. It's possible Dobson isn't the right player to drive that forward, but what the Canadiens believe him to be absolutely would drive that forward. And what that means is that every subsequent move will serve the same purpose. The Canadiens are in a different phase, an exciting phase in which a competitive team will continue being added to and improved incrementally with a long view of building a contender and a shorter view of continuing to build momentum. It is the first stepping stone this Canadiens administration has added that didn't require some sort of abstract projection of what an acquired asset could potentially mean if everything went right. Dobson's projection is not very abstract. 'I don't want to say everything happens in phases, but I guess we spent the early part of my time here trying to accumulate assets, which for the most part were draft picks, but there were prospects,' Hughes said. 'But once you go through that phase, I think you come to a time where you start to look at, how are we constructing a hockey team and how do we want to play and what are the players that fit that idea, that mandate. Advertisement 'This is probably a pretty significant sign on our part that, OK, we're adding a piece from the outside, we didn't draft it, and we're going to try to continue to take those next steps. I think part of it was driven by the success the team had and the desire the dressing room has to keep moving this thing forward.' The Canadiens made a significant investment in Dobson, and Dobson committed the prime of his NHL career to the Canadiens. They are both hoping for the same thing, that this marriage will result in rings. That end result is still abstract and still requires more work. But Dobson's acquisition is the first sign that work toward the desired end result has now begun.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Islanders Trade Star Defenseman Noah Dobson in Draft Day Blockbuster
Islanders Trade Star Defenseman Noah Dobson in Draft Day Blockbuster originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After weeks of speculation about the long-term future of star New York islanders star defenseman Noah Dobson, fans finally have an answer. Advertisement The 25-year-old blueliner has spent his first six seasons with the Islanders, recording 50 goals and 231 points in 388 games. A perennial Norris Trophy contender, Dobson scored a career-high 70 points two seasons ago, ranking second on the Islanders in scoring. The former 12th overall pick had been the subject of trade rumors since the season ended with New York looking to trade him rather than pay him the $11 million-per-year salary he was seeking, per Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli. According to a report from NHL insider Kevin Weekes, the Islanders found a trade partner, agreeing to send Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, who promptly signed the star defenseman to an eight-year extension worth $9.5 million per year, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson (8) controls the puck in the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game four of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at UBS Cruz-Imagn Images In return, the Islanders received 23-year-old forward Emil Heineman, who scored 10 goals and 18 points in 62 games last season, plus both of Montreal's first-round picks — Nos. 16 and 17 overall. Advertisement Many have speculated New York, which will likely take defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick in Friday's draft, has been looking to acquire more assets to trade back up into the top five for Boston College center James Hagens, a New York native. The Islanders could offer up a package of the Nos. 16 and 17 picks plus a top prospect like forward Cole Eiserman or 80-point center Matthew Barzal to make such a deal happen. Related: Sabres Turned Down Multiple Blockbuster Trade Offers for JJ Peterka: Report This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blues Draft Carbonneau With First Round Pick
Canadiens: Gorton Speaks On The Eve Of The Draft It's finally (almost) here, the NHL draft is upon us, and for one last time before proceedings get underway, Montreal Canadiens' executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton spoke to the media. While he didn't say anything earth-shattering, there are still a few interesting tidbits of information to report. 1:50 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
8 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
With first-round haul at 2025 draft, Islanders ‘replenished' prospect pool for future
The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 NHL Draft. The New York Islanders have known better days. They haven't experienced many busier ones, though. From the hours before and then throughout Round 1 of the NHL Draft on Friday night, new general manager Mathieu Darche left no doubt he is remaking a franchise that hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 1984 and last advanced beyond the second round in 2020-21. Advertisement That's the goal: to bring the Cup back to Long Island. And if it ever happens, Day 1 of Darche's first draft might be remembered for setting the foundation. As expected, the Islanders selected touted defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick. But it was a big trade made a few hours prior that set up what Darche hopes will be looked upon as a fruitful night. Then, the Islanders dealt defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Emil Heineman and the Nos. 16 and 17 picks in the draft. With those selections, the Islanders took winger Victor Eklund and defenseman Kashawn Aitchenson — the eighth- and 11th-rated prospects, respectively, in The Athletic's final draft rankings. 'High-character individuals tend to overachieve, and we've got three high-character young players,' Darche said. 'That's the type of individuals I want on the team, so it was a great night for the Islanders.' Darche said he believes the Islanders 'replenished our prospect pool' in Friday's first round — a process that he felt was started with moves by former GM Lou Lamoriello at the trade deadline. Darche is willing to move the team's remaining Day 2 draft picks if the return nets NHL players who can help the team next season and beyond. He also plans to spend in free agency. Adding significant pieces on the open market is costly and risky, perhaps no more or less than daring to move on from Dobson. Darche said his intention until this week was to re-sign Dobson. When it became apparent that wouldn't happen, he pivoted to a trade. The price for Eklund and Aitchenson was steep. Dobson, who signed a max-term deal with an $9.5 million cap hit as part of a sign-and-trade to the Canadiens, has proven himself an explosive right-shot defenseman, especially on the power play. But that's at his best, and he wasn't last season. Still, at 25, Dobson is entering the traditional prime. Therein lay the logic for trading him. Advertisement Darche said he was willing to trade the picks acquired from Montreal to add NHL talent. He also confirmed looking to move back into Round 1, conceding that center James Hagens, a Long Island native, was 'high on our list.' The Islanders were not alone among clubs angling to move into the top 10, but the price was high enough to keep all those interested GMs at bay, and the Boston Bruins ended any fairytale dreams in New York when they picked Hagens seventh overall. 'He's a good player,' Darche said of Hagens. 'That's why (the Bruins) picked him.' Instead, the Islanders picked three players in Round 1 for only the second time. The other was 1999, when they made four opening-round selections. The @NYIslanders had a busy Round 1 of the #NHLDraft, selecting Matthew Schaefer (No. 1), Victor Eklund (No. 16) and Kashawn Aitcheson (No. 17).#NHLStats: — NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) June 28, 2025 The Islanders are trying to build a Cup contender, not merely a team that competes for a playoff spot. The hope is that these first-round picks, led by Schaefer, a projected franchise defenseman, form part of the foundation for a Cup contender over the long haul. 'It's only starting,' Schaefer said from Los Angeles. 'Train and work as hard as I can so when the end of the summer comes, when the season comes, I'm ready to go play at that NHL level.' Before he became the Islanders' sixth No. 1 pick in franchise history, Schaefer's draft-eligible season was marred by significant time missed because of a broken collarbone and mononucleosis. But those setbacks, he said, are 'small' compared to a trio of losses in 2003. That year his billet mom with the Erie Otters, Emily Matson, died of apparent suicide, a few months before his mother, Jennifer Schaefer, died following a lengthy battle with breast cancer. That December, Otter's owner Jim Waters died of a heart attack. Advertisement The jacket Schaefer wore on Friday night had images of his mother sewn into the lining. When he pulled on the Islanders sweater after greeting NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on stage, Schaefer was surprised to find his mother's initials sewn inside the collar. By the time he touched a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon he hadn't expected to see on the left shoulder of the jersey, Schaefer was doing all he could to fight back tears. He gave up that fight — something his late mother never did, Schaefer said. An emotional moment as Matthew Schaefer dons the Islanders sweater for the first time 👏 — ESPN (@espn) June 27, 2025 'To do that for me — it means a lot and it goes a long way,' he said. 'A lot of people can say, 'Ah, it's just a ribbon,' but it means a lot for me. My mom's a big part of my life, and this jersey I'm going to hang onto, for sure. 'The ribbon has a lot of meaning to it.' So, too, does banking on a blueliner to help lead a franchise rebuild. Darche, who came to the Islanders after many years in the Tampa Bay Lightning front office, is well-versed in the many ways an elite defenseman can positively impact a team. He wouldn't dare compare Schaefer to the Lightning's Victor Hedman, a likely future Hockey Hall of Famer who has won a Norris Trophy and a Conn Smythe Trophy and played a pivotal role on Tampa Bay's back-to-back Cup-winning teams earlier this decade. However, the plan is to provide Schaefer with every resource necessary — including time — to grow into a foundational piece on Long Island. 'I haven't met many 17-year-olds with that maturity,' Darche said. 'But we drafted him because he's a hell of a hockey player.' — Eric Stephens contributed reporting.
Montreal Gazette
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Joining Canadiens ‘a dream come true' for Noah Dobson
Montreal Canadiens By A big part of the Canadiens' rebuilding plan has been making Montreal a destination where players want to both come and stay. Jeff Gorton, the executive vice-president of hockey operations, general manager Kent Hughes and head coach Martin St. Louis have all worked hard on that front and it's starting to pay off. Not only were the Canadiens able to acquire Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders in exchange for the 16th and 17th overall picks at Friday night's NHL Draft along with forward Emil Heineman, they were also able to get the 25-year-old defenceman to sign an eight-year, US$76-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of US$9.5 million. 'Without hesitation ... it was a no-brainer for me,' Dobson said during a video conference Friday night about signing to play in Montreal for eight years. 'Just the opportunity to be part of the Montreal Canadiens, it's an honour. It's the best hockey market in the world. The fans are incredible. I love playing at the Bell Centre. Just also the group of players they have already and the talent they have on the team and what they've been building, I'm just super-excited to join that group and add to it. I'm excited what we can do down the road here in the future. 'I think if you look at the steps they took last season, the pieces they have and the talent on the roster, you can't help but get excited to join that group,' Dobson added about the Canadiens being the youngest team to make the playoffs last season in Year 3 of a rebuilding process. 'Everyone's still young and to join that group is exciting. I know what they've been building the last few years and it's a special group from what I've heard. I'm excited to join that group and see what we can do. Just super-excited.' The Canadiens are super-excited about being able to get the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Dobson, who was selected by the Islanders in the first round (12th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. Dobson and the Islanders struggled last season and the Summerside, P.E.I., native finished with 10-29-39 totals in 71 games to go along with a minus-16. The previous season, Dobson had 10-60-70 totals and was plus-12. 'I think it was a difficult season at times as a whole — not just individually, but as a team,' Dobson said about last season. 'We struggled to score a lot collectively as a team, especially earlier in the year. The team dealt with a lot of injuries, a lot of moving parts in and out. Like any season, there's highs and lows throughout that. I think just taking a learning experience, dealing with it as a team and individually, struggling to score and produce and having to find ways to be effective each night when things aren't going in was something I really tried to learn from and grow and evolve.' After the Islanders missed the playoffs, Dobson played with Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship, where Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson was a teammate. 'I think at those events and when you're around guys from different other teams you're always just asking what things are like in different places because you never know, right? Things like this happen,' Dobson said. 'I just know from in the past, doing camps with (Matheson) before, he's talked very highly of the Canadiens and the coaching staff and the group of players and just the organization as a whole. So I definitely had that in the back of my head.' Dobson said it was a 'crazy couple of days' before the trade was made, adding it was a mutual decision for the Islanders and him to part ways. The Islanders had the No. 1 overall pick at Friday night's draft and took defenceman Matthew Schaefer of the OHL's Erie Otters. The Islanders then took Swedish winger Victor Eklund with the 16th pick and Kashawn Aitcheson, a defenceman with the OHL's Barrie Colts, with the 17th pick. What made Dobson's situation more stressful over the past few days is he's getting married on Monday. He said the trade talks really heated up on Friday morning. 'When I found I was going to be a Montreal Canadien, extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity and really looking forward to it,' he said. Dobson added for a kid who grew up in Canada it's a 'dream come true' to play for the Canadiens. 'The atmosphere at the Bell Centre, there's nothing quite like it,' he said. 'I know from my first seasons in the NHL, it's always my favourite road game in the league is when we come to the Bell Centre. So I'm looking forward to the first time stepping on the ice there with the Montreal Canadiens sweater and just trying to feed off the energy and passion from the fans because it's truly an honour and a privilege to play for the Montreal Canadiens.'
