Noah Dobson was traded to the Montreal Canadiens by the New York Islanders on Friday, and signed an eight-year, $76 million contract ($9.5 million average annual value).

This past season, the Canadiens ended a three-year playoff drought and looked like a team on the rise. With the team on an upward trajectory, general manager Kent Hughes took a big swing ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft. Montreal sent the No. 16 and No. 17 overall picks to the Isles for Dobson, a 25-year-old defenseman with great puck-moving skills.

The Canadiens improved by trading for Dobson, but more importantly, it signaled a new and exciting phase of their rebuild.