Six trade destinations to watch for Islanders’ Noah Dobson
It’s rare and exciting when a top-end player in his prime emerges in the trade rumor mill. Pretty much any NHL team could use a 25-year-old, right-shot defenseman with a 70-point season to his name, so it’s clearly an actionable item if the New York Islanders are willing to move Noah Dobson, who joined Frank Seravalli’s Trade Targets board at No. 25 last week.
Trading Dobson can’t be an easy call for newly minted GM Mathieu Darche. Dobson is one of the better young offensive defensemen in the game. He has delivered double-digit goal totals in four consecutive seasons, he plays more than 23 minutes a night, and he’s a proficient shot blocker. He had a sneaky-strong 2024-25 season as a 5-on-5 play driver on a mediocre team. That said: the Isles finally seem ready to go backward in order to go forward. Trading Brock Nelson and getting a good young prospect in Cal Ritchie at the deadline this past March said so. Moving on from Lou Lamoriello as GM in April said so, too. And Dobson would undoubtedly fetch a monstrous return, a cocktail of premium draft picks and/or prospects and/or young NHL players. His camp also initially asked for an $11-million AAV on his next deal (albeit that number will come down following an injury-shortened season in which his offensive totals shrunk) and he’s an arbitration-eligible RFA, so this week might represent a sensible window to sell him.
Which teams would make sense as potential suitors? They’d need sufficient cap space plus the pick-and-prospect capital to make a competitive offer. Consider these six.
Buffalo Sabres
Why he makes sense: The Sabres can’t keep stockpiling theoretical talent. You can only break so many young forwards into the lineup between Zach Benson and Isak Rosen and Jiri Kulich and Jack Quinn and Noah Ostlund and so on, with Konsta Helenius still coming. Even though I infamously declared the return underwhelming in the moment, I understood the rationale behind GM Kevyn Adams cashing out Matt Savoie for veteran help in Ryan McLeod last summer. The Sabres could easily dip into their pool again to make an offer for Dobson – including one of the aforementioned young forwards and their 2025 first-round pick, for instance. The Sabres desperately need a reliable horse on the right side of their defense to support lefties Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. And if Adams laments the market’s inability to woo free agents to the Land With No Palm Trees, the trade route is the way to add veteran talent.
Fly in the ointment: Theoretically, if Darche wants to pull a Dobson blockbuster, it should happen before the first round of the NHL Draft this Friday so that the Isles can accelerate the restart with a second first-round pick after they select No. 1 overall. But would the Sabres be ready to make their pitch so soon? They have their own RFAs to sort out in JJ Peterka and Bowen Byram. Either would be an intriguing piece to put into an offer for Dobson, but if neither is included, the Sabres’ cap situation becomes difficult to project. Can you commit to eight figures for Dobson if, for instance, Peterka isn’t going the other way? He’s an offer sheet candidate, don’t forget. So adding Dobson on the cap in a sign-and-trade would make Buffalo more vulnerable to a Peterka poaching.
Carolina Hurricanes
Why he makes sense: The Canes have the best marriage of cap space and legitimate Stanley Cup contender status this offseason. They’re dangerous, with so many core players still locked up and $26.72 million in projected cap space, and they have holes to fill on defense – with Dmitry Orlov likely gone and Brent Burns merely a depth guy if he decides not to retire. They have seriously underrated prospect capital as well; Jackson Blake made a legit impact as an NHL rookie, fellow forward Bradly Nadeau led AHL rookies in goals and defensemen Scott Morrow and Alexander Nikishin are ready for larger opportunities to be NHL regulars. I mentioned Morrow as a piece they could dangle in an offer for Rasmus Andersson, but they could take a bigger swing for Dobson and use Nikishin as the centerpiece of an offer.
Fly in the ointment: Are we sure Carolina wants to blow a ton of its cap space on defense? They could be just fine with what they have on a blueline led by Jaccob Slavin. They have a power-play quarterback already in Shayne Gostisbehere. What they truly need is a game-breaking scorer up front. Dobson would be a nice add, sure, but it feels like Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers should be higher-priority offseason targets for GM Eric Tulsky.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Why it makes sense: The Blue Jackets were one of the NHL’s most improved teams this season. Zach Werenski was a world-beater on defense, but what really inspired optimism going forward, as he pointed out to me, was all the improved support around him as forwards Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko broke out. The Blue Jackets already are a rising power in the Metropolitan Division, and they have accumulated an impressive list of prospect assets. Forwards Cayden Lindstrom, Gavin Brindley and Jordan Dumais remain on the way, while Luca Del Bel Belluz flashed potential in his first NHL duty this past season. Blueliner Denton Mateychuk cut his teeth in the NHL this season, while Charlie Elick is coming. In other words: the Jackets could pretty easily put together a compelling offer for Dobson including some NHL-ready prospects. They also have $40.41 million in projected cap space with which they could sign Dobson.
Fly in the ointment: Dobson’s acquisition cost will be sky high in terms of assets surrendered. Would the Jackets be better off spending only money and re-signing Dante Fabbro and Ivan Provorov, both pending UFAs? Columbus has a big shopping list this offseason, including a right-shot center and/or top-six forward and a goaltender. Would they be better off pursuing a right-shot blueliner a tier lower, such as Andersson? That would ensure they can fill their other holes, too.
Detroit Red Wings
Why he makes sense: If I’m predicting where Dobson goes, if he’s traded at all, it’s Detroit. The Red Wings have to be desperate at this point, having missed nine consecutive postseasons despite some aggressive buyer behavior from GM Steve Yzerman the past couple summers. Their D-corps at the NHL level is woefully shallow aside from young long-term fixtures Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson. Dobson would give that blueline an instant makeover. The Wings also have plenty to offer should the Isles feel ready to start over. If they wanted a righty coming back their way, they could ask for Axel Sandin-Pellikka. Detroit could dangle one of its two elite goalie prospects in Sebastian Cossa or Trey Augustine. The Isles could ask for center Nate Danielson. If the Isles want an NHL-ready contributor: how about RFA right winger Jonatan Berggren as part of the package? Many permutations could work.
Fly in the ointment: I almost never say this but: I don’t see one, unless you want to pick nits and say the Wings need a left-shot defenseman more than a righty. The Wings have the need, the urgency, the cap space and, just as importantly from the Isles’ perspective, the assets to get a deal done. As long as Yzerman is willing to pay up.
Los Angeles Kings
Why it makes sense: Future Hall of Famer Drew Doughty is 35 and has two seasons left on his contract. The Kings are smack in their win-now window and need a path to escaping Round 1 of the playoffs after falling to the Edmonton Oilers four straight seasons. Right shot Brandt Clarke is supposed to be the successor to Doughty as the team’s top puck-mover, but the Kings have been hesitant to take the training wheels off despite the fact he’s shown impactful offensive play-driving ability. He was a healthy scratch four times this season, and they played him a pitiful 12 minutes a night in the playoffs. If they don’t anticipate Clarke reaching the level they need him to in the next year or two, they could fast-forward things and add Dobson. A good starting point for an offer would be, well, Clarke.
Fly in the ointment: The Kings were already an elite defensive team. Their best path to improvement is to pursue a marquee forward, isn’t it? Their situation is similar to Carolina’s. Also: the right side of L.A’s blueline is full if Doughty, Clarke and Jordan Spence are around. The money for Dobson might be better deployed to re-sign Vladislav Gavrikov or, if he leaves as a UFA, to replace him on the left side.
Philadelphia Flyers
Why he makes sense: I listed the Flyers as a landing spot for Andersson, partially because they may be without Rasmus Ristolainen early on next season as he works his way back from triceps surgery. But given the Flyers are only just completing phase 1 of their rebuild, Dobson would fit much better given he’s three years younger. They do have puck-movers aboard already in Cam York and Jamie Drysdale, sure, but no one at Dobson’s level. He’d instantly be their top defenseman along with Travis Sanheim.
Fly in the ointment: The Isles’ ideal trading partner might be a team further removed from rebuilding. Trading Dobson likely means bringing in futures or at least prospects. But GM Danny Briere hasn’t built the Flyers to the point they have excess prospects and first-round picks to punt. It feels like this type of splash would fit Philly better a year or two from now.
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