The Montreal Canadiens have acquired Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders for a package that includes Emil Heineman and the Habs' 2025 16th and 17th overall picks. The Canadiens then signed the pending restricted free agent to an eight-year contract extension worth an annual average value of $9.5 million.
Return includes Emil Heineman and both of Montreal’s first-round picks tonight.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 27, 2025
Will be interesting to see what NYI GM Mathieu Darche does with them https://t.co/VUtanRytwN
After being selected 12th overall by the Islanders in 2018, Dobson spent six seasons on the Islanders' blueline, playing 388 career games and recording 230 points (50 goals, 180 assists). In the 2023-2024 season, he had a career high 70 points in 79 games and finished with a +12 goal differential rating. He became the first Islanders defenseman since Denis Potvin to hit the 70-point mark. This past season, he finished with 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) in 71 games as the Islanders struggled to make the postseason.
Looking for a right-handed defenceman to replace David Savard and bolster the Canadiens' blue line, GM Kent Hughes found one of the best on the market. The 25-year-old, entering his prime, fits into the Canadiens' similarly aged core, looking to build on last season's playoff success.
Primarily as an offensive defenceman, Dobson quarterbacked the Islanders' powerplay and finished the last four seasons with 10+ goals. With a balanced profile and no weaknesses on the offensive side, Dobson's puck-moving and playmaking abilities will contribute to the Habs' quick counter-attacking play and secondary scoring. While there were concerns with his defensive game, with help from defence-minded defensemen like Alex Carrier and Kaiden Guhle, he has shown to be one of the top-pairing defencemen in the league.