Andrew Gross: Islanders got best of deal that sent Noah Dobson to Canadiens
The Islanders' Matthew Schaefer and Emil Heineman celebrate Heineman's shootout goal against the Lightning at UBS Arena on Dec. 13, 2025. Credit: Getty Images/Bruce Bennett
MONTREAL — Often, trades are graded based upon which team got the best player. And rightfully so.
So in the immediate aftermath of the offseason trade in which the Islanders’ Noah Dobson (after a contract impasse) was sent to Montreal for then-fourth-liner Emil Heineman and two first-round picks, it was easy to think the Islanders finished second in the deal.
Trading away a defenseman with Dobson’s playmaking and skating skills usually is not advisable.
But fast-forward to Thursday night — when the Islanders resumed their season against the Canadiens at Bell Centre after the three-week Olympic break in the first game between the teams since the June 27 trade — and it’s easy to argue that the Islanders won a deal they should have lost.
Not that Dobson has been bad for the Canadiens. Quite the contrary, and he scored a first-period goal Thursday night. But Heineman’s development into a top-six wing in his second NHL season, and right wing Victor Eklund and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson surprisingly dropping to the Islanders at Nos. 16 and 17, certainly evened the deal.
The tipping-point factor, though, was Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche knowing he could draft Matthew Schaefer first overall and Schaefer quickly developing into a top-pair defenseman and power-play quarterback.
Edge: Islanders.
“I wouldn’t say it was anything to prove to be incorrect,” said Heineman, who brought a career-high 15 goals and eight assists into Thursday, when asked if he was motivated to show the Canadiens they were wrong to trade him. “I would say it was more me trying to play well for my new team. I was excited to come to the Island.”
“Dobber was a huge part of this organization for a while and a great hockey player for the Islanders,” said Bo Horvat, who rejoined the Islanders on Thursday after earning a silver medal with Team Canada in the Olympics. “But we get a guy back like Heinie who’s been phenomenal for us this year scoring goals, playing big minutes in key situations. It definitely eases that transition.”
Dobson, 26, who had 10 goals and 28 assists in his first 57 games for Montreal, promptly signed an eight-year, $76 million deal with his new team.
The Canadian from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, enjoys playing in his home country and for the team closest to his home.
“It’s been great,” Dobson said. “I feel like it’s been a smooth transition from Day One. A great group of guys, great team. And just being a Canadian kid playing in this market has been super-fun to be a part of. It feels like home already.
“At the end of the day, I was never set on leaving or staying. It’s the business side of things. Things didn’t work out. But I love Long Island. I love the Islanders’ organization. I really grew up there. I’ve got a lot of great memories there.”
Playing in Montreal is not for everyone. The fans and the media are incredibly hockey-savvy and the Canadiens are always under examination. Dobson, always readily available to the media as an Islander, is still more soft-spoken and never one to seek the limelight.
“I can’t compare it to his experience in New York, but coming here, big market, he’s from Canada, I think he fit in very nicely,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “His personality allowed him to fit in very nicely. I don’t think he gets rattled by too much. Very consistent. He’s not worried about the noise.”
Dobson certainly drew some of that noise as an Islander when he turned the puck over.
Still, initially, trading Dobson evoked the bad memories of former president/general manager Lou Lamoriello sending defenseman Devon Toews to the Avalanche for two second-round picks in 2020. That deal, too, was financially motivated as Lamoriello wanted the salary-cap space to re-sign Mathew Barzal. Plus, Dobson was emerging at that time.
In the end, the NHL is a business, and Dobson’s former teammates are not bitter that he couldn’t work out a deal with the Islanders.
“He’s a great guy,” said Anders Lee, who dressed for his 900th game, matching Bobby Nystrom for the sixth most in Islanders history. “It was great to be able to play with him in his younger years and watch him grow into the player that he’s become today.”
“I think you recognize it for what it is,” defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “You don’t know the details of it, the behind-the-scenes whatever. When you have friends and they leave, it stinks in the moment.”
The way the deal has worked out for the Islanders has made it stink less.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
