New York Islanders: A to Z will introduce a new generation of fans to the legendary players, magical moments, and colorful history of the Islanders. Contributions from Brendan Burke, Stan Fischler, Chris King, and Jiggs McDonald.
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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
It’s too bad Noah Dobson deleted his social media because he would be on the receiving end of a lot of accolades these days, including these six encouraging thoughts from “The Maven,” Stan Fischler.
The 23-year-old hasn’t taken a step; he’s made a leap through 30 games this season, launching himself into the way-too-early Norris Trophy conversation. What we’re watching is the slow build of the maturation process accelerating once everything clicks for a talented player.
The Islanders chose to sign Dobson to a three-year bridge deal before last season at $4M AAV per year (he’s currently the 85th highest-paid blueliner in the league). At the time, GM Lou Lamoriello said they needed to see a little more of him to make a long-term decision and commitment; this is the player they believed he could become, albeit perhaps not this season.
During the summer, Lamoriello went out of his way to defend Dobson against what he viewed as unfair criticism after his 51- and 49-point seasons. While pushing back against those who wanted to see more from Dobson, Lamoriello set the bar even higher.
“I have high expectations for him, said Lamoriello. “I think he’s going to be one of your lead-scoring defensemen in this league before his career is over.”
Lamorello didn’t have to wait long.
He's currently fourth amongst NHL defensemen in points (32), behind only Evan Bouchard (EDM), Cale Makar (COL), and Quinn Hughes (VAN), and third in the league in TOI, having logged over 25 minutes in 12 consecutive games. The 32 points (5G, 27A) are tied with Mathew Barzal for the team lead, and the 27 assists are seventh in the entire NHL.
Dobson will make the Islanders pay for not extending him long-term before last season. He’s on a trajectory that will earn him a contract comparable to some of the best young defensemen in the league. He’s gone from a young player who wasn’t putting it all together quickly enough to one who has started figuring it all out. There’s no reason to think he can’t get even better.
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