Canadiens’ Noah Dobson suffers upper-body injury, will be re-evaluated in two weeks
The Montreal Canadiens will be without one of their top defensemen for the remainder of the regular season and at least a sizable portion of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Canadiens announced on Sunday morning that Noah Dobson sustained an upper-body injury during Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and that he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Dobson left the game after blocking a shot with his hands in the second period of what was ultimately a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Blue Jackets.
Prior to his departure, Dobson had skated a total of 12:57 in 11 shifts, blocked a shot, recorded a hit and posted a minus-2 rating.
Noah Dobson retraite au vestiaire...
Dobson is in his first season as a member of the Canadiens after coming over in a blockbuster trade with the New York Islanders over the summer. Montreal paid a premium to land the experienced puck mover, sending two first-round picks along with winger Emil Heineman to New York while signing Dobson to an eight-year contract extension carrying a salary cap hit of $9.5 million.
The acquisition has paid dividends. Dobson has provided valuable offensive upside to a defensive unit that was in need of it behind the offensive force that is reigning Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson.
In his 80 games played this year, Dobson is sixth on Montreal in scoring with 12 goals and 35 assists for 47 points. It’s a step back from his career-best of 70 points in 79 games that he recorded with the Islanders in 2023-24, but he’s doing it in a role in which he’s not being afforded the best offensive deployment possible.
Montreal has clinched a second consecutive berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and while they were fortunate to sneak in a year ago, they’ve done so emphatically this time, drastically raising the expectations.
The Habs are likely to finish either second or third in the Atlantic Division and square off against Tampa Bay in the first round, though they are still alive to beat out Buffalo for the division and set up a matchup with the top wild card in the East.