The New York Islanders enter the offseason at a crossroads.
They went 35-35-12 this past season and missed the final Eastern Conference wild card spot by 9 points. The Islanders also have an aging core that does not look capable of reaching their 2020-21 Conference Finals heights.
New York does have the No. 1 pick in this upcoming draft and is largely expected to select left-handed defenseman Matthew Schaefer. He may not be a generational first overall pick, but he projects as a legitimate top-pairing defenseman for years to come.
However, regardless of which top prospect the Islanders select, they have a couple of key decisions to make on current players. Perhaps the most important of which is defenseman Noah Dobson, who is a restricted free agent this summer.
NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman had this to say on Dobson:
“I could see the Noah Dobson situation with the Islanders going either way; I think they really want to know the market for him.”
Dobson is a fantastic offensive d-man, having notched 46 goals and 209 points over the last four years and 308 games. He has also been a fixture on the power play. Dobson does struggle in his defensive zone at times and is not a lockdown defender. But, he is still 25 years old and one of the lone promising players on this New York team.
Should the Islanders trade Dobson, it would signal a full rebuild. Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Ryan Pulock are locked up through the 2029-30 season. But, expiring deals like Anders Lee ($7 million) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5 million) are other viable trade candidates, should they choose the blow-it-up route.
New York’s decision on Dobson will reveal plenty about how the front office views this roster and its future direction.
