Trading Noah Dobson to Montreal last summer might have been the only choice Mathieu Darche had, and it could end up being beneficial for both teams in the long run. While it’s been a year and players like Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitchison haven’t debuted in the NHL yet, there’s a hope that the Islanders will call up Eklund on Tuesday to make the last game of the season interesting, although it’s still uncertain.
Interestingly, the response from Islanders fans to Dobson often seems to be along the lines of, “Good for you.” He suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday that will keep him out for at least part of the Habs’ first-round games and, had he returned to Long Island for the team’s playoff loss on Sunday, he likely would have faced boos.
This could be a misunderstanding based on the more vocal online segments of the fanbase. When Dobson comes back to UBS with the Canadiens next season, he deserves to be cheered. The 26-year-old is a solid presence for the Islanders and has proven to be hard to replace. A notable mistake by Lou Lamoriello was his failure to extend Dobson’s contract two summers ago, when he should have been seen as a cornerstone of the franchise.
Currently, it’s tough to argue that the Islanders are in the playoff picture without Dobson. Mainly, it’s hard to assess how adding his $9.5 million salary will impact the Islanders’ summer cap. One thing is clear, though: they’ve sorely missed him this season.
The trade didn’t seem aimed at creating a long-term vision, but Emil Heineman, who impressed with 22 goals, appears to be a valuable asset moving forward. It’s important to point out that quality right-handed puck-moving defensemen who log over 20 minutes a game are a rarity in the NHL, plus the Islanders have lacked depth on defense all season.
There was an idea that with Matthew Schaefer joining the lineup, trading Dobson wouldn’t be a loss. However, Schaefer is a lefty, and no one anticipated he would make such an impact at the time of the trade.
This season, the Islanders have managed to cover the void on the right side, thanks to Tony DeAngelo’s addition. Many of the team’s struggles were likely linked to the absence of DeAngelo due to injury. Not having a right-handed defenseman for crucial moments proved to be a major hurdle.
In the short term, the situation has worked out reasonably well. Coupled with Heineman’s success and the promising development of Eklund and Aitchison, the long-term outlook for this trade might not be as bleak as it seems.
That said, evaluating this deal is complicated. A lot of factors need to fall into place for the Islanders to feel satisfied five years down the line.
Dobson had notable performances while with Montreal—averaging over 22 minutes of ice time and racking up 47 points. He tends to frustrate fans since his mistakes are often magnified, but he is skilled enough that it makes his trade-off worthwhile.
His injury, combined with the risk of him missing the playoffs, poses a challenge for the Canadiens, who usually rely on him and Mike Matheson against top opposing lines.
The Islanders would certainly be pleased if Eklund can join their top six, Aitchison slots into the top four, and Heineman continues his scoring. That scenario represents a best-case outcome.
Of course, having a lead—even if it’s promising—remains uncertain. The Islanders have made progress in how they engage with Bridgeport and player development, though they still have room for improvement. It’s also realistic to hope that Heineman can find a consistent groove as he continues to develop in his early career.
In retrospect, Darche has managed to turn a challenging situation into a potentially favorable one, given that he had to confront the fact that Dobson wouldn’t be contributing this season. This shows a level of acumen for a rookie general manager, especially given the potential for things to have gone much worse.
But whether the Islanders truly “won” the trade remains a different question entirely. One season simply isn’t enough to draw a conclusive answer.
