Noah Dobson plays defence like Nick Suzuki plays centre.
That’s what I was thinking while watching from the press box Saturday night as the Canadiens beat the Utah Mammoth 6-2 at the Bell Centre.
While they play different positions, Dobson and Suzuki both play a cerebral game with no wasted effort, able to read and anticipate plays and pounce when needed. They make the game look easy.
“He’s very good positionally,” Mike Matheson, who is Dobson’s defence partner, said after practice Monday when I suggested to him that Dobson plays like Suzuki. “I think that’s definitely a fair comparison. I’ve said it before, he just always seems in control and that’s really impressive.”
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes gave up a lot to get Dobson this summer, sending 23-year-old forward Emil Heineman — along with two first-round picks at this year’s NHL Draft (16th and 17th overall) — to the New York Islanders in exchange for the 25-year-old defenceman. Hughes said one of the reasons he accumulated so many draft picks after starting a rebuilding process almost four years ago was to be in position to make a trade if a player with Dobson’s ability and experience in the prime of his career ever became available. Right-shot defencemen like Dobson don’t become available often, so Hughes made the deal.
It’s a trade that could end up working well for both teams. Heineman has 6-4-10 totals in 16 games with the Islanders while playing on the first line with Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri. The Islanders used the two first-round picks to select right-winger Victor Eklund, who has 0-8-8 totals in 16 games with Djurgardens IF in the Swedish Hockey League, and defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson, who has 15-9-24 totals and a plus-13 differential in 19 games with the OHL’s Barrie Colts.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Dobson has fit in very well with the Canadiens.
“I wouldn’t describe Noah as an overly physical defender,” Hughes said after the trade. “I think he defends with his feet and with his reach and range. His ability to retrieve pucks and kind of spring the offence for us was a big piece. We see how (Lane Hutson’s) done that for us. We’re confident … we did a lot of homework on him.”
Dobson fits in perfectly with the style of game Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has the Canadiens playing, with a strong forecheck and his defencemen aggressive both pinching in at the offensive blue line and defending in the neutral zone. It makes it difficult for the opposition to even enter the offensive zone.
You have to have mobile defencemen who can skate to play that system and Dobson is a huge upgrade on David Savard, who retired after last season at age 35. Mobility was not Savard’s strength, but he played a key role in developing the Canadiens’ young blue-liners and teaching them the defensive game. Every young rearguard with the Canadiens had Savard as their first partner.
As St. Louis has said, there are some players in this rebuild who planted the trees, but won’t be around to enjoy sitting in their shade. Savard is a perfect example, along with goalie Jake Allen — now with the New Jersey Devils — who was a great mentor for Samuel Montembeault.
The Canadiens have seven defencemen who are mobile and can play the system St. Louis has in place: Dobson, Matheson, Hutson, Jayden Struble, Alexandre Carrier, Arber Xhekaj and the injured Kaiden Guhle. Cole Caufield said the defence has been a key to the team’s success this season, sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 10-3-2 record heading into Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS).
“I think we’re spending a lot less time in the D-zone and that definitely helps,” Caufield said. “Definitely a full 180 from last year and we’re just going to try and keep that going.”
Dobson has been a great fit with the 31-year-old Matheson, who might be playing the best hockey of his 11-year NHL career. Matheson had 3-6-9 totals and was plus-11 in 15 games before facing the Kings, while averaging a team-high 25:03 of ice time. Dobson had 1-10-11 totals and was plus-7 while averaging 22:23 of ice time.
“I’m not really thinking about that, to be honest,” Matheson said when I asked if he is indeed playing the best hockey of his career. “I’m just looking at each game, who I’m going against, and just focusing on those matchups. And looking back at each game, trying to take a couple of things to improve on and keep going.”
Matheson and Dobson have similar personalities, both thoughtful, soft-spoken and intelligent.
“I think he’s such a special player and so easy to play with,” Matheson said. “We’re definitely getting along well off the ice and carrying that on to communicating really well on the ice, on the bench, and really learning how each other likes to play. So it’s helped a lot.”
Suzuki’s linemates would say the same thing about him.
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