The Montreal Canadiens have acquired RFA defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders in a sign-and-trade deal.
News of the deal was initially broken by insider Kevin Weekes, who is at the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles.
Weekes did not initially reveal details of the trade. Another notable insider, Elliotte Friedman, offered insights into the trade:
Friedman indicated that the New York Islanders will be getting Montreal’s 16th and 17th overall selections, plus defenseman Emil Heineman.
The deal ends weeks of speculation regarding the Islanders’ rumored interest in moving Dobson as contract extension talks stalled following the end of the season.
Also, the Dobson trade paves the way for the Islanders to select Matthew Schaefer with the first-overall pick. The rumblings surrounding the Islanders’ first-overall pick were that Dobson would go if Schaefer was to be the man.
That appears to be the case now.
The Canadiens have begun to land upgrades to their club, despite moving their two first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Habs may not be done making things happen this offseason.
Canadiens Get Dobson on 8-year $76 Million Extension
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that the Canadiens got Dobson for eight years at $9.5 million AAV.
It’s worth pointing out that the deal was a sign-and-trade, as Dobson, an RFA, could not sign directly with the Canadiens. So, instead of the Islanders trading Dobson’s rights to the Canadiens, the Islanders signed him first. Then, the Islanders traded Dobson to Montreal.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens got Dobson, new contract, and all. The details of the contract extension are unclear at the moment. Since this story is developing, it remains to be seen what the specifics of the new contract are, such as no-movement clauses, and so on.
Dobson’s asking price was believed to be $11 AAV, as reported by Ethan Sears of the NY Post. That situation prompted the Isles to seek a trade for Dobson.
Ultimately, Dobson signed below what was believed to be the going rate of $10 million. The Canadiens, it seems, got a bargain.
Why This Trade Makes Sense for Montreal
The Canadiens have been rumored to seek improvements heading into next season. The Habs rebuild appears to be ahead of schedule by all accounts. As such, adding a high-end defenseman like Noah Dobson gives Montreal an elite blue line in the making.
The Canadiens already have Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson. The Canadiens also have Logan Mailloux, Kaiden Guhle, and Alexandre Carrier. That core could become one of the best in the NHL.
The Canadiens will still need to figure out the bottom pairing as Arber Xhekaj is still on the roster for one more season, along with veteran Mike Matheson. Perhaps Matheson could be on the way out as Montreal tries to clear up some much-needed cap space.
Matheson is in the final year of his current deal with a $4.88 million cap hit and modified no-trade clause. Even if the Canadiens keep Matheson, the club is poised to have a fantastic blue line next season.
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