The action couldn’t wait on draft day for the selections, as Noah Dobson was traded from the New York Islanders to the Montreal Canadiens, just hours before the Islanders were on the clock. Their general manager (GM), Mathieu Darche, was hoping his first defining moment would be the top pick. Instead, it’s trading Dobson, a defenseman who the team hoped would be a staple and core part of the roster for years to come.
Related: Canadiens Acquire Dobson From Islanders For Two 2025 1st-Round Picks, Heineman
The trade cost the Canadiens both of their draft selections in the first round, plus Emil Heineman. It’s an underwhelming return for Dobson and not how Darche wanted this to play out (ideally, he re-signs the defenseman). That said, the trade had to happen, and it will help both teams in the long run if they make the right moves in the immediate aftermath.
Canadiens Make First Splash & Might Make More
This trade moves the needle and changes the expectations, which were already raised, for the Canadiens. They went from a team on the rise, one that made the playoffs as a wild card, to a team that is in the contention conversation. The Canadiens had the pieces to make a splash, and they did just that with the Dobson addition.
Their defense now has two elite playmakers with Dobson joining the reigning Calder Trophy winner, Lane Hutson. The position was a big question mark after this past season, especially since they allowed 3.18 goals per game, and now, it’s another strength that can also take the offense to the next level.
Noah Dobson, New York Islanders (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
This move is also just the beginning for GM Kent Hughes and the Canadiens. Logan Mailloux is a top prospect in their system who has the same skill set as Dobson and Hutson. He’s one of the many prospects the Canadiens can trade to make another big move. It wouldn’t be crazy to see Hughes make another trade or a big signing in free agency to set up this team to compete with the best in the Eastern Conference.
Islanders Look Back at Previous Defense Woes
It’s easy to look back at this trade as one that mirrors the Devon Toews trade. Fans are quick to point out how the two trades are different, considering Toews wasn’t planning on signing with the Islanders, but both trades saw the team give up on defensemen just as they were hitting their strides.
The Toews trade is a move the Islanders never recovered from. They lost a puck-moving defenseman who went on to become a star with the Colorado Avalanche and a key part of their Stanley Cup-winning roster. The move opened up salary cap space, but it slowly led to the decline of one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Dobson was supposed to be the replacement for Toews. Now, he’s on the Canadiens and expected to be a big part of their roster. Dobson isn’t the best player on the team, but he’s getting an eight-year deal with a $9.5 million average annual value (AAV), so he’s expected to be a star in their lineup and only play better from here on out.
There’s some irony in these two teams making a trade involving a defenseman. During the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Islanders acquired Alexander Romanov for the 13th pick, which the Canadiens flipped to the Chicago Blackhawks for Kirby Dach. Now, the Canadiens are the ones adding a defenseman while the Islanders are the team receiving the picks.
Why It’s Not a Clear-Cut Win for the Canadiens
Ideally, Dobson and Hutson play together on the top pair. It gives the Canadiens two scorers at the point and a fast-paced top pair. The forward unit already has plenty of talent on the ice, yet this duo takes the offense to the next level. Dobson and Hutson are both great at handling the puck as well, allowing the Canadiens to turn defense into instant offense.
The problem is that both defensemen are naturally aggressive and want to play deep in the offensive zone, often joining the play and trying to find that extra scoring chance. With the two on the ice together, the Canadiens are vulnerable at the other end, and teams will expose them.
The other option, one that head coach Martin St. Louis might take, is to split the duo up. The Canadiens can play Dobson on one pair and Hutson on the other if they have two stay-at-home defensemen to pair with them. They don’t, at least not at the moment. The Canadiens will figure out the right pairings over time, but it’s not a given they’ll have immediate success.
Where Darche Goes From Here
Losing Dobson is a tough blow, and the Islanders won’t have an easy time replacing him and what he brought to the lineup. Certainly, next season’s team will struggle at the point and moving the puck up the ice without Dobson. However, Darche has a path to retool the Islanders now.
The draft picks he just acquired from the Canadiens help. Darche wants to build up the farm system and will do that with the Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson selections. Sure, training up with the picks and drafting James Hagens would have made the haul from the trade all the better, but both skaters add quantity to the farm system, which this team needs. Adding Heineman also gives the Islanders a young forward who can add scoring in their bottom six. Heineman is only 23 years old and coming off a 10-goal season, and can be a valuable part of a resurgent forward unit.
The other plus is the extra cap space. Since Darche didn’t pay Dobson, he can re-sign Romanov and make him a core part of the defense, while also re-signing the other restricted free agents (RFAs) on the roster. There’s also some room to sign a veteran in free agency, and more space could be on the way if Darche continues to make moves (the next player to watch is Jean-Gabriel Pageau).
The Dobson trade sends a clear message from both teams. The Islanders are taking their medicine next season, while the Canadiens are taking a big step forward. Darche is starting to clean up the mess his predecessor, Lou Lamoriello, created while allowing the prospects to turn the team into contenders by the start of the 2026-27 season. Hughes is adding Dobson to a young and rising group that looks to challenge the Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division. When Darche took the GM job, he bet on his ability to build up a great farm system, and with the Dobson trade, the pressure is already on.
