Soon after his introductory press conference as General Manager of the NY Islanders, the organization announced they’d made their first off-season signings under Mathieu Darche, re-signing Kyle Palmieri and Adam Boqvist.
While a player of Palmieri’s caliber has been essential to the Islanders, a bigger decision looms regarding the future of Noah Dobson.
Could the Isles move Dobson?
A restricted free agent on July 1, Dobson is looking for a massive raise from his current AAV of $4M. With the cap ceiling having increased significantly for the first time since the COVID pandemic, Dobson could be looking to earn $10M a season, but is that a number the Islanders and Darche are comfortable offering?
Two years ago, Dobson had the best season of his career, finishing eighth in Norris Trophy voting while registering 70 points (10 G, 60 A), but regressed this season, totaling only 39 points (10 G, 29 A).
While Dobson has been incredibly inconsistent during his time with the Isles, the organization is sparse when it comes to right-handed defensemen in their pipeline, as Isaiah George, Jesse Pulkkinen, Calle Odelius, and potentially Matthew Schaefer all play on the left side. The preference will be to keep him, but what if the two sides can’t come to an agreement?
It is believed the Montreal Canadiens could be willing to part with one of their two first-round picks and defenseman Logan Mailloux (who plays the right side) in order to improve their roster. This could be the starting point in a potential deal between the two sides, giving the Islanders either a second first-round pick or ammo to go after a player like Marco Rossi of the Minnesota Wild, who may also be available. Additionally, Mailloux is a 6’3″ defenseman, and at 22 years old, could become part of the future defensive core.
Darche has stated that he isn’t looking to rebuild but instead retool, and if the Isles and Dobson don’t see eye to eye in negotiations, Montreal could be a partner that helps with that retool.
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