A significant trade occurred on Friday, centered around defenseman Noah Dobson, involving the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Islanders. This move suggests both franchises are heading in distinct directions.
Montreal acquired Dobson shortly after he finalized an eight-year contract extension with the Islanders, an agreement valued at $9.5 million annually. In exchange, New York received forward Emil Heineman and both of Montreal`s first-round selections in the 2025 draft – picks 16 and 17.
Here is an evaluation of how the management of both teams performed in this transaction and the implications for their future strategies.
Montreal Canadiens
Grade: A
The opportunity to acquire a 25-year-old, right-shot, top-pairing defenseman who excels in all situations, possesses puck-moving ability, and stands 6-foot-4 is one any general manager should seize. Such a move inevitably comes with a substantial cost, which underscores the decisiveness of Canadiens GM Kent Hughes` decision and what it signifies for his team.
This trade makes it clear that Montreal is committed to making their 2025 playoff appearance a consistent reality, with the ultimate goal of competing for a Stanley Cup in the near future.
The concept of `future` is central to what this trade represents for the Canadiens. Holding two first-round picks is a valuable asset. Rebuilding teams use such picks to build towards a perceived stronger future, while playoff contenders, or those on the verge, leverage them as trade capital to immediately enhance their roster.
Hughes chose the latter approach with this deal, equipping Montreal with what appears to be one of the NHL`s most promising young defensive corps.
Dobson, who has scored 10 or more goals in four consecutive seasons, joins a talented group of young Canadiens blueliners including reigning Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, and Jayden Struble. The organization also boasts recent first-round picks Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher in their system.
This collective includes six defensemen, all under the age of 25. Four were first-round selections, while the others were taken in the second round (including Hutson). This presents a fortunate problem – a collection of talent with the potential to achieve significant success over time.
However, Hughes now faces a practical challenge with Dobson under contract: the Canadiens are currently over the salary cap by $3.394 million (according to PuckPedia) and have seven defensemen under contract or team control for the 2025-26 season.
Hughes will need to decide which defenseman to move to free up cap space while retaining the necessary depth to support the aforementioned playoff aspirations. Veteran Mike Matheson has one year remaining on his contract at $4.88 million before becoming an unrestricted free agent, while Alexandre Carrier has two years left at $3.75 million annually before hitting the open market.
Resolving this cap situation sooner rather than later will grant the Canadiens more financial flexibility for potential further moves, although they also need to sign restricted free agents Struble and Jakub Dobes to new deals.
New York Islanders
Grade: A
New Islanders GM Mathieu Darche, having spent six seasons in the Tampa Bay Lightning`s front office, understands the value of certain assets. Building a sustained winner often comes through successful drafting.
General managers overseeing teams near the bottom of the standings must be honest and realistic about their franchise`s direction. This makes every move the Islanders make during Darche`s initial offseason particularly crucial.
This isn`t to say Dobson couldn`t have been part of New York`s long-term vision. However, there`s significant merit in recognizing a player`s highest possible value to your franchise and determining that value is maximized by a return like the one Darche secured here.
The assets Darche received in exchange for a top-pairing defenseman like Dobson are poised to significantly influence the Islanders` composition for potentially the next decade or longer.
Holding the first overall pick was already a foundation for that future – a pick they will likely use on talented defenseman Matthew Schaefer. By adding two more first-round picks, Darche has vastly expanded his options.
Darche and his staff might opt to keep both picks acquired from the Canadiens, potentially adding three high-end prospects in one draft. This would significantly bolster a system that, despite drafting Cole Eiserman in the first round in 2024, is distinctly in need of talent. This need is partly due to the Islanders not having a first-round pick in four draft classes since 2018 (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023).
Alternatively, Darche could explore packaging one or both of these picks in another trade, aiming for a different move that he and his staff believe will position them for even greater long-term success.
While the focus is on the future, the present reality of Dobson`s departure must also be considered. The Islanders now have five defensemen under contract and seven under team control, including restricted free agents Scott Perunovich and Alexander Romanov. Tony DeAngelo and Mike Reilly are unrestricted free agents from the 2024-25 roster.
The Islanders possess $20.934 million in cap space (per PuckPedia). This financial flexibility can be used to address their defensive requirements and other roster needs this summer, which includes re-signing Heineman, who is an RFA after scoring 10 goals and 18 points in 62 games during his first full NHL season.
