Canadiens' Noah Dobson to Miss Start of Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Montreal Canadiens are heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs without one of their best defenceman.

During the Canadiens matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday night, Dobson didn't come out for the third period, and the alarm bells came on across the organization. Dobson took a shot off his hand during the second period against the Blue Jackets and is reportedly going to miss a couple of weeks, which means he won't be available for the first half of the first round of the playoffs.

David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Le défenseur Noah Dobson a subi une blessure au haut du corps et sera réévalué dans deux semaines.

Defenseman Noah Dobson sustained an upper-body injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. pic.twitter.com/KjjNY6hcXJ

— x - Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 12, 2026

The 26-year-old is in his first season with the Canadiens and has enjoyed a stellar season. Dobson's appeared in 80 games for the Habs, scoring 12 goals and 35 assists for 47 points, which is good for sixth on the team in scoring. Dobson's playing heavy minutes for Montreal, averaging over 22 minutes per game. There's no doubt he'll be a giant hole to fill for the postseason.

Montreal's locked into the Stanley Cup Playoffs so it's going to be interesting to see how they can do early on without Dobson available. They've called up one of their top prospects David Reinbacher. 

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images