Noah Dobson: “If he keeps this up, he’s going to be the next Darnell Nurse.”

Marc-Olivier Cook
Noah Dobson: “If he keeps this up, he’s going to be the next Darnell Nurse.”
Credit: Getty Images

Noah Dobson found the back of the net last night against the Blackhawks.

Let's hope it does him some good offensively… because he'd been blanked in ten of his last eleven games prior to the match against Chicago.

The defenseman isn't having the time of his life at the moment. And Éric Fichaud seems to be tired of seeing him go through more difficult times…

It's simple: in a column for BPM Sports, Fichaud strongly criticized Dobson for not performing up to expectations. The former NHL goalie wants to see more, and that's normal because Dobson earns a salary of $9.5 million per season.

And… Fichaud even mentioned that Dobson was going to become the next Darnell Nurse in the NHL if he kept playing like that. Ouch!

That's pretty… harsh.

Because let's not forget one thing: after 15 games this season, Noah Dobson was being talked about as a fantastic player. As a guy who was really helping the Canadiens and stabilizing the club's blue line.

I have a feeling that this is simply a bad patch. But on the other hand, Éric Fichaud is right: it's time to get back on track, because it's true that things haven't been too chic lately.

Dobson isn't a bad hockey player, far from it… but it's his level of effort on the ice that sometimes bothers him. It seems he's not afraid of looking soft on the ice, and that too can be disturbing at certain levels.

And it's the player's salary that's raising expectations at the moment. Dobson is the highest-paid defenseman on the Canadiens' blue line, and he has to play like a $9.5 million man every night.

Not every other game. Not every other appearance either. At that salary, you're supposed to lead by example… And that's what he needs to do, because the Habs will need him if they're to have any hope of a playoff berth.


Overtime

– He's so good.

– Oh.

– Logical.

– Nice moment.

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