Noah Dobson: His shot really worries me

Mathis Therrien
Noah Dobson: His shot really worries me
Credit: Getty Images

Last night against the Colorado Avalanche, the Montreal Canadiens likely played their least emotional and exciting game of the entire 2026–2027 season so far.

There was no rhythm, no coordination, and no opportunism on the part of the Habs in this 4-1 loss, which turned out to be the team's first regulation loss in a month—since October 14 against the Washington Capitals.

In short, the Habs were due for a lackluster regular-season loss.

So there isn't much to say about this run-of-the-mill game, other than the fact that Nick Suzuki scored one of the goals of the year with his spin-o-rama backhand shot.

There's also no point in panicking or criticizing the team, which has, after all, given us a 12-game streak (9-0-3) with at least one point.

However, there's one aspect of the Canadiens that worries me—and it came to a head last night—and that's Noah Dobson's offensive contribution.

Last night, he missed the net time and time again with fairly harmless shots—a far cry from what we'd come to expect from him last season with his hard shots, excellent wrist shot, and 12 goals.

In fact, Dobson remains the only Montreal Canadiens player without a goal this season.

One might think it's just bad luck or a mere coincidence, but what worries me is the fact that Dobson hasn't scored a single goal since undergoing hand surgery at the end of the 2025–2026 regular season.

Dobson missed the last two games of the regular season, as well as the first six games of the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He finally returned to action in Game 7 and played the rest of the series.

What concerns me, then, is that since undergoing surgery following his injury in the April 11, 2026, game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dobson no longer seems to have the same thunderous and accurate shot, whether on a pass or off the wrist.

The velocity of his shot has also decreased since that surgery.

And just to be clear, I'm not criticizing Noah Dobson here—the Habs defenseman is playing excellent hockey, despite a few tougher games like last night and the occasional turnover.

His pairing with Lane Hutson ranks at the top of the NHL offensively, even without any goals from Dobson.

So this is really more of a genuine concern than a criticism, given that the Habs are missing Dobson's shot.

Dobson's offensive contribution of 12 goals and 47 points last season greatly benefited the Canadiens, whereas this season, with only eight assists and no goals in 20 games, his production isn't the same.

In short, let's hope things get back on track for the Habs' #53, and that he's not still bothered by last season's hand injury.

That would be a real shame.


In Brief

– It's great to see.

– Indeed.

– He was drafted one round before Jacob Fowler in 2023.

– Note.

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