Noah Dobson was traded to the Montreal Canadiens by the New York Islanders on Friday and signed an eight-year, $76 million contract. It has an average annual value of $9.5 million.
Dobson, who could have become a restricted free agent on July 1, signed the contract prior to the trade. He would have been eligible to sign an offer sheet for a maximum of seven years with any other team.
New York received two first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft (Nos. 16 and 17) and forward Emil Heineman. They selected forward Victor Eklund from Djurgarden (Sweden) with the No. 16 pick, and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson from Barrie (OHL) with the No. 17 pick.
Dobson, a 25-year-old defenseman, had 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) in 71 games for the Islanders this season.
Selected by New York with the No. 12 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Dobson has 230 points (50 goals, 180 assists) in 388 regular-season games and 10 assists in 31 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Islanders, who won the draft lottery, selected Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman from Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, with the No. 1 pick. They have nine total picks in the 2025 draft.
The first round of the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft was at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theatre on Friday. Rounds 2-7 will be on Saturday (Noon ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, SN1).
Heineman had 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 62 games as a rookie with the Canadiens last season and one goal in five playoff games. The 23-year-old can become a restricted free agent on July 1.
Montreal has 10 selections in the draft, the first coming in the second round (No. 41).
