Is Noah Dobson Already Elite?
Noah Dobson is underrated person. I’m not sure how much longer he can stay under the radar. The Islanders gave him a well deserved bridge deal of 3 years and $12 million after his breakout season. In the Barry Trotz setup, he rattled off 51 points in 80 games. He was arguably the only bright spot of an otherwise dismal season. Either he, Ilya Sorokin, or the equally underrated Brock Nelson are the driving forces behind this team. Once 2025 hits, this guy could easily be worth close to $9 million per season range. I believe he is quietly on the fast track to NHL stardom.
Not A One Season Wonder
Dobson is also well on his way to similar point totals. Some fans may even say that Dobson has surpassed Ryan Pulock as the team’s best right-handed defenseman. One way or another, he is a leader on this blue line. He has a respectable 51.3% CF% on the season. He’s also the first Islander since Mathew Barzal to jump from first-round pick to impact player in 3 years or less. He scored 10 goals in 2022-2023, good enough to be tied for second most among all NHL defensemen. We could be seeing a guy who scores 20 goals and close to 60 points from the blue line. Simply put, you don’t see that very often.
Durability is also a key factor. Ryan Pulock was out for a long stretch of last season. Adam Pelech is currently on the IR. Dobson has had to be the #1 guy on more than one occasion. The crazy part is, he turns 23 next Saturday. He ticks a lot of other boxes for this team as well. Powerplay quarterback. Transition force. Puck mover. He’s set for a long and productive NHL career with his skating abilities and puck skills. Lou Lamoriello traded for Alex Romanov this offseason to ideally be Dobson’s long-term partner. However, Dobson has shown an ability to fit in with just about anyone paired up with him.
Before It’s Too Late
People need to start waking up on Noah Dobson. He’s gunning for a spot in the Top 10 NHL Defenseman. He’s gonna start getting Norris consideration sooner or later. If the Islanders can survive the injury bug and push for Top 2 in the Metro, all of this could be happening much quicker than expected. You heard it here first. Noah Dobson is a stud and will only get better as time goes on.
