Last summer, Noah Dobson was Montreal’s big addition to their core. While he didn’t have as prominent of a role as he had before, he had a solid first season with the Habs. Can he build off that performance in 2026-27?
2025-26
With Lane Hutson being the clear-cut option as the defenceman on the top power play unit, it was going to be interesting to see how Dobson would do when the offence wasn’t running through him. It turns out that he adapted quite well.
He was paired with Mike Matheson early, a duo that held up for pretty much the entire season. That pairing had more than twice as much ice time together as Montreal’s next most-used pair (Jayden Struble and Lane Hutson). He still got to see secondary minutes on the man advantage, though about half of what he was getting with the Islanders. On the flip side, he went from being sparingly used on New York’s penalty kill to being third among Montreal’s defenders in ATOI shorthanded.
All things considered, it’s hard to be too critical of his season. Despite the drop-off in power play time and points, Dobson responded with the second-highest even-strength point total of his career, only six off his output when he had his breakout 70-point season in 2023-24. That’s despite getting harder defensive minutes, too. All things considered, he held his own shorthanded as well.
Things didn’t go quite as well at the end of the season, however. He was already starting to slide offensively (just five points in his last 19 games) before suffering a late-season hand injury that caused him to miss the first six playoff games. He was clearly playing through it the rest of the postseason as he was nowhere near as impactful but he was still able to give Montreal some tough minutes. All in all, Montreal’s highest-paid player had an impressive debut campaign.
Regular Season Stats: 80 GP, 12-35-47, +5, 34 PIMS, 2 PPG, 1 GWG, 158 shots, 22:29 ATOI
Playoff Stats: 13 GP, 0-1-1, -7, 2 PIMS, 0 PPG, 0 GWG, 21 shots, 22:03 ATOI
5 Year Averages
GP: 78
Goals: 12
Assists: 39
Points: 51
+/-: E
PIMS: 27
PPG: 2
GWG: 2
Shots: 185
2026-27 Role
There is a very realistic chance that Dobson’s role will remain the same for the upcoming season. Given how often he and Matheson were paired together, it’s fair to say that the coaching staff feels more than confident that those two fit in a two-way role. They get some of the harder defensive minutes but at the same time, both have enough offensive skill to contribute on that end as well.
That said, there were some calls as the season went on to try to use him more often with Hutson, with those two playing with the top line a bit more often in an effort to generate more offence. Dobson would be the shooting threat from the point with those two, adding another weapon in that situation. It does make things a little more complicated on the rest of the back end but given that things went well when they were together last season, there’s a decent chance that they’ll get a longer look together in 2026-27.
From a special teams standpoint, not much should change either. As long as Hutson is healthy, he’s going to be the blueliner on the top unit with Dobson getting the leftovers with the second wave. That doesn’t bode well for a big uptick in power play production, especially given how long the top unit typically stays out. The presence of Alexandre Carrier should stop Dobson from needing to play any more shorthanded but he figures to be a fixture on the second pair there once again.
Projected Stats
While Dobson didn’t reach the 50-point mark, he finished tied for 12th league-wide in even-strength points by a defenceman. That’s a number that hasn’t gotten enough attention. Being that high with Hutson also right up there (he was third, two off the league lead) is great. It’s also something that should largely be sustainable as there’s no reason to think Montreal’s even-strength attack will take a big step back. That gives him a strong floor to work with which helps offset the fact that he won’t put up much offensively with the man advantage.
From a fantasy standpoint, the lack of power play production is a concern. Even with a high floor at even strength, it’s hard to see him going much past 50 points overall unless he landed on the top power play unit for a stretch. For leagues that provide extra points for power play points, he probably should be lowered a bit rankings-wise.
However, for those with blocks as a category, Dobson was second in the league in that department a year ago. It would be a bit surprising to see him quite that high again but if his usage stays the same, averaging over two per game should be doable. That increases his game-to-game floor and elevates him value-wise a bit. He also averages around two shots per game which is on the high side for a blueliner. In shallower leagues, Dobson is a high-end third defender if you can get him in that role. In deeper pools, he’s a solid second option, just like he is with the Canadiens.
GP: 80
Goals: 13
Assists: 39
Points: 52
+/-: +7
PIMS: 34
PPG: 2
GWG: 1
Shots: 162