Noah Dobson currently plays as a $9.5 million defender

Maxime Truman
Noah Dobson currently plays as a $9.5 million defender
Credit: Getty Images

You'll have to explain to me how the Habs can go from a team that's constantly outshot by its opponents and washed out five times in front of its fans in the space of a month…

To a team with a string of comebacks that hasn't lost in regulation time in its last six games.

Right now, the Canadiens are the most spectacular and exciting team to watch in the entire NHL. We agree it's different from the last 30 years.

Why is it spectacular? Because they're one of the most talented teams in the entire NHL, according to Paul Maurice, who saw the Habs up close last night. It's all about talent and quality

The Panthers' coach went even further, emphasizing Montreal's talent on the blue line. And he's right.

When you look at the Habs' top scorers, you realize that three of the top eight are defensemen. #ÀLaBrycePickford

Lane Hutson has 38 points, Noah Dobson has 27 (with little use on the powerplay) and Mike Matheson, 18 (with virtually no use on the powerplay).

(Credit: NHL.com)

Hutson, we knew, would rack up the points like I've been racking up the hours of sleep fatigue since the start of the Christmas vacations (even if his first games before his contract extension were so-so); Matheson is delivering exactly the kind of performance we expected, but Noah Dobson is starting to take off and impress the gallery. He's playing for $9.5 million right now.

He has seven points in three games since December 23.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Incredibly, the Canadiens have the third, 14th, and 37th best scoring defensemen in the Bettman circuit so far this season. That's impressive! Especially when some teams don't even have a 20-point defenseman yet this season…

Many have criticized Dobson for his nonchalance and lack of grit, but we have to admit that the big right-hander more than gets the job done on the Habs blue line. He's going up against the best players in the game, he's scoring a lot of five-on-five points, he's integrated into the group and he's reliable defensively (apart from a couple of gaffes that stick in our memory).

When Dobson plays like he's doing now, he makes us forget Emil Heineman and the two draft picks who left for New York with him. It's up to him to keep up the pace and play more consistently.


Overtime

– Even the Panthers' game commentator thought the Panthers were going to win yesterday's game after the home team scored their second goal.

– Aleksander Barkov has already started skating again.

– Stéphane Waite liked Samuel Montembeault's performance yesterday.

– Rumors had it that Maxime Crépeau was headed for Toronto. Very happy to see him in Florida instead!

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