When Montreal Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes heard Noah Dobson was available to be had on the trade market, he didn’t hesitate, and he acquired the right-shot defenseman on draft day, even though it meant trading his two first-round picks and promising young forward Emil Heineman. After 68 games with the Sainte-Flanelle, the blueliner has shown Hughes that he was right to make the move, especially given the Canadiens’ lack of depth when it came to NHL-ready right-shot defenseman.
Dobson has put up 45 points in his first 68 games with the Habs, and he’s on pace for a 54-point season, which would be a big improvement on his totals from last year. Of course, when Hughes acquired him, it was because of how offensively gifted he is, but there’s more to his game than just that.
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While he’s not as defensively sound as he is offensively gifted, he’s still fully committed to the defensive side of the game. Right now, he’s second in the league in blocked shots with 163, just two behind the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Jake McCabe. He’s on pace for 197 blocked shots on the season; last year, he only had 126 with the New York Islanders.
He currently has a plus-10 rating, a significant improvement from the minus-16 he posted for the New York Islanders last season. Of course, there’s still room for improvement when it comes to his defensive game; he could definitely stand to throw his body around a bit more and use that big frame of his (6-foot-4, 200 lbs).
He’s only got 45 hits so far this season (14th on the team), and he’s able to dish out more than that. In 2023-24, he registered 84, and the Canadiens aren’t the most physical team out there, so they could use it. He could also use a bit more intensity in his net front battles; clearing the goaltender’s sightline is always a plus. Still, one must admit that Dobson is having an impressive season with the Canadiens and that he thrives in Martin St-Louis’ brand of hockey.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
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