Dobson was one of the Habs’ least effective contracts in 2025-26

Michaël Petit
Dobson was one of the Habs’ least effective contracts in 2025-26
Credit: Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images

The Canadiens' selection of Noah Dobson in the 2025 draft was great news for the team: Finally, a very good right-handed defenseman has been added to the roster.

Dobson, as we know, has already racked up 71 points in a single season with the Islanders, an organization known for its defensive style of play.

However, this season, Dobson has been particularly impressive defensively, despite some shortcomings. We knew he wasn't a Jaccob Slavin defensively, but he still led the NHL in 2025–26 in blocked shots.

He also tallied 47 points, including 12 goals, despite reduced power-play ice time with Lane Hutson ahead of him.

In short, even though his contract seemed too high at first glance, it's safe to say he hasn't disappointed this season.

However, The Athletic ranks Dobson's contract as one of the Habs' least effective contracts for the 2025–26 season.

Before jumping to the conclusion that the Habs made a mistake by signing him to that contract, we need to explain The Athletic's methodology.

First, several factors were used to determine whether a contract was “ineffective.” And a player isn't necessarily bad just because he was selected; he simply underperformed relative to his impact on the payroll.

Dom Luszczyszyn's model, which evaluates various aspects of a player's performance, served as the basis for this analysis. For this exercise, only a player's impact during the regular season was considered, and only players who underperformed by at least $1 million were included in the article.

Players who missed the majority of the season and those who were traded during the season were excluded.

In the case of the Habs, Brendan Gallagher (obviously), Josh Anderson, and Noah Dobson were the three players on the team who would have “underperformed” this season.

Josh Anderson is surprising in a way, too, because we saw just how valuable he was in the playoffs, but since The Athletic's analysis is based solely on the regular season, that makes sense.

As for Dobson, it's much more surprising, given that Dom Luszczyszyn's player model takes several factors into account. Shot-blocking is one of them, as are offensive impact and special teams contributions.

You could say Dobson was very good on the penalty kill, especially since no one expected him to kill penalties—let alone do it that well.

In short, as I said earlier, there are gaps in Dobson's game, but I still think he's done very well overall. I don't think he's really underperformed relative to his contract, but he's still tied for fifth place among the highest-paid defensemen.

What works in the Habs' favor with his contract is the fact that the salary cap is set to rise significantly in the coming years. Furthermore, the fact that Dobson is only 25 years old and still has seven years left on his contract certainly benefits the Habs in the long run.


In a Nutshell

– To be continued.

– A heartbreaking loss for the Alouettes.

– These would be good targets for the Flyers.

– Interesting.

– What a nice gesture.

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