Among an unsubstantiated rumor that New York Islanders defending Noah Dobson would be the centerpiece of a deal with the Vancouver Canucks to jt miller, SportsNet’s Elliott Friedman He says teams “have told me they think it’s very possible Noah Dobson got an extension. Is that true? I don’t know. Is he out of the realm of possibility? No.”
“Tom Brady will throw his first touchdown pass of the season next year and the Islanders will send out press releases that they just signed a bunch of guys.”
– Elliott Friedman
Friedman also added that he believes the islanders are “in” on Nazem Kadri. The NHL insider says the Islanders and colorado avalanche are the favorites, with Calgary and Detroit as possible suitors.
By @RefrigeratorHNIC via 32TP: “There are teams that suspect the #islands do business I’ve had teams tell me they think it’s very possible Noah Dobson could get a contract extension.”
—James Nichols (@JamesNicholsNYI) July 29, 2022
Despite the Vancouver story, which in addition to Dobson suggested the Islanders include a top prospect and a 2023 first-round pick to acquire the 29-year-old Miller, the expectation is that GM Lou Lamoriello will sign Dobson to a multiyear deal this offseason.
What kind of deal will Dobson sign? That is a different story. A bridging deal at a lower AAV would offer the Islanders salary-cap flexibility at a crucial time as they try to keep their window open to win a Stanley Cup with top 30-plus players. A 3-year deal would take Dobson to age 25, and he would still be a restricted free agent (RFA) at the end of the contract, similar to by Mathew Barzal Current situation.
However, given Dobson’s offensive production last season (13G, 38A), a long-term deal with a $6.5-7M AAV could look like a discount in a few years. It would also ensure that Dobson, along with Adam Pelech Y Ryan Pulock they would all be locked up for the next 7 or 8 years on the Isles blue line.
Earlier this month, Shayna Goldman of the athletic I was in the Nassaumen Hockey Podcaststy provided information on a possible Dobsonian extension.
“I like to look at similarity scores based on players within (Dobson’s) age range who had similar seasons on both ends of the ice. His best comps after last season were Seth Jones, Cam Fowler, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Oscar Klefbom, Shea Theodore and (Ryan) Pulock ahead of him they’re all really encouraging that I think they should tell the Islanders that this is someone who could be a top tag linebacker so I think going for a bridging deal , what they could do to alleviate their limit situation (salary), is a mistake because I think he will earn much more in his next contract”.
– Shanya Goldman
2021-22 was a huge jump in Dobson’s production. After struggling and even being a healthy scratch during the first road trip of the season, he stepped up when Pulock was missing for an extended period of time and his game began to click offensively during the second half.
He does not play error-free in his own area, but he has been improving and maturing under the tutelage of the coaching staff and Zdeno Chara. Rightly so, Pelech and Pulock are widely regarded as the Islands’ two best defenders, but they lack the offensive creativity and PP quarterbacking ability that Dobson displayed for a team that would otherwise lack that skill set after of the exchanges of Devon Toews Y Nick Ledy.
Fairly or not, improving on last year’s performance is where the expectations lie for Dobson in 2022-23. And while Islanders fans have big projections about where Dobson’s game is headed, it will be a year or two before the rest of the NHL fully catches on. Until then, or at least until an extension is announced, we’ll have to live with ill-conceived trade rumors.