Islanders Have Reportedly Switched Approaches For Dobson Trade
There is a lot of fire behind a Noah Dobson trade from the New York Islanders very shortly. This may come as soon as the 2025 draft. Frank Seravalli reported that sources tell him the Islanders have shifted approaches in the discussions for Dobson from roster players that will help the team right now to futures and first-round picks tonight. There are a handful of teams with multiple draft picks in the first round tonight.
The expectation is that the Islanders are not only looking to keep their first overall pick to draft Matthew Schaefer as a replacement for Dobson who should get moved, but also move up enough to draft James Hagens, who was born on Long Island.
Being able to turn Dobson into Hagens and another first-round pick or a young player would be ideal. It may force the Islanders to look ahead a couple of years instead of trying to immediately bounce back this season, but their defense is already pretty solid anyways. What the team has been missing the last number of years is young talent to come in and make a difference. Lately, it has also been the lack of scoring with the depth the team has and the style of play.
Changing directions like it appears the Islanders are doing should create longer lasting success and allow the team to keep core pieces like Ilya Sorokin, Bo Horvat, Mat Barzal, as well as Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech so that the turnaround can be quick.
Dobson is asking for a lot and it is uncertain whether he could bounce back on the Islanders. The $10 million AAV he reportedly asked for on a long-term deal makes sense if he had just put up a 70 point season like the season prior, not a 39 point season.
The Montreal Canadiens appear to be frontrunners to land Dobson and they surely have more than enough assets to make a deal happen. The Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues have also been rumored to be in the running while more teams definitely have interest. It should be an exciting night at the draft, especially if a Dobson trade is announced early.
