NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we look at Noah Dobson’s potential after being traded to the Montreal Canadiens.
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Noah Dobson has been traded to the Montreal Canadiens by the New York Islanders, forming an elite defenseman duo with reigning Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson and boosting their chances of contending for the Stanley Cup in the years ahead.
The 25-year-old, who signed an eight-year contract at the time of the trade, had an NHL career-high 70 points (10 goals, 60 assists) in 79 games two seasons ago before taking a step back with 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) in 71 games. Dobson, who was selected by the Islanders with the No. 12 pick at the 2018 NHL Draft and played his entire career with them prior to the trade, became New York’s first defenseman with four straight 10-goal seasons since Denis Potvin (eight straight from 1980-81 to 1987-88).
Dobson, who ranks 10th among defensemen in points over the past four seasons combined (209 in 308 games), joins Montreal’s elite young core, which includes Hutson (21 years old), Kaiden Guhle (23) and David Reinbacher (20) and forwards Nick Suzuki (25), Cole Caufield (24), Juraj Slafkovsky (21) and Ivan Demidov (19). Montreal, the youngest playoff team in the NHL this season (lost in five games to Washington Capitals in Eastern Conference First Round) and second-youngest team in the entire League, drastically improves its defense without weakening its roster.
Here are three underlying reasons the Dobson trade could help the Canadiens take another step forward in the Eastern Conference next season and beyond:
1. Skating speed
Dobson ranked in the 91st percentile among defensemen in 20-plus mph speed bursts (77) and 89th percentile at the position in top skating speed (22.80 mph) this season. Dobson, who was the Islanders’ average ice time leader in each of the past two seasons (minimum 40 games played), has 77 power-play points over the past four seasons (since 2021-22) to rank tied for 10th among defensemen over that span. He ranked in the 95th percentile among defensemen in power-play skating distance (30.52 miles) this season and should boost Montreal’s power play, which ranked 21st in the NHL (20.1 percent).
The Canadiens, who went 15-5-6 in 26 games following the 4 Nations Face-Off to rank fourth in points percentage (.692) from Feb. 22 to the end of the season, finished third in 20-plus mph speed bursts (2,222) this season behind only the Colorado Avalanche (2,493) and Edmonton Oilers (2,250).
Dobson could be paired with another fast player in Hutson, who had the third-highest top skating speed (23.77 mph) among defensemen this season behind only Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks (24.56 mph) and Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes (24.19 mph). Hutson, who ranked in the 96th percentile at his position in 20-plus mph speed bursts (107), became the fourth defenseman in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to lead rookies in scoring, joining Bobby Orr (1966-67), Brian Leetch (1988-89) and Hughes (2019-20).
2. Shots by location
Dobson scored on four of his eight high-danger shots on goal this season to rank tied for fifth among NHL defensemen in high-danger goals. The 6-foot-4, right-shot defenseman also ranked highly at his position in long-range shots on goal (121; fourth), midrange shots on goal (27; 87th percentile) and long-range goals (three; 85th percentile). Dobson’s shooting prowess should be a boost to the Canadiens defenseman group, which combined for 27 goals this season, fewer than all but two teams (Boston Bruins: 24, Toronto Maple Leafs: 21).
Dobson, who ranked sixth in shots on goal (196) among defensemen this season, had at least four shots on goal 21 times, eighth most at the position. The only Canadiens defenseman with more than four games of four-plus shots on goal was Mike Matheson (11).
While the Canadiens ranked sixth in midrange goals (87) and just outside the top 10 in midrange shots on goal (658), they were below the NHL average in the following categories:
• High-danger shots on goal: 509
• High-danger goals: 101
• Long-range shots on goal: 408
• Long-range goals: 11
