The New York Islanders and Noah Dobson have agreed to a contract extension. Financial terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed. This contract keeps Dobson on Long Island for three years. After the type of season he had, this was a no-brainer decision by general manager Lou Lamoriello.
The Isles also signed Alexander Romanov and Kieffer Bellows to new deals. Romanov’s contract is for three seasons while Bellows inked a one-year pact. The Romanov deal is $2.5 million per season while Bellows will make $1.2 million.
#Isles News: The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Noah Dobson to a three-year contract!
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) August 22, 2022
Noah Dobson Signs Extension with Islanders
Dobson is going to remain on Long Island. The 22-year-old defenceman was drafted by the Islanders with the 12th overall pick in 2018. After spending the last three seasons with the team, it was a no-brainer to keep the young defencemen on the blueline for the foreseeable future.
Throughout his young career, Dobson has skated in 160 games, all with the Islanders. He has tallied 17 goals, 55 assists, and a total of 72 points. His 2021-22 season was a career year for the young defencemen. In 80 games played he tallied 13 goals, 38 assists, and a total of 51 points. Dobson was a factor on the power play as well. He had 3 power-play goals and 22 assists. The years before this season, Dobson had point totals of 7 and 14. This year showed his growth, and he was third on the team in point totals and led New York defencemen in scoring, according to Stat Muse.
With his offensive game, he also had a defensive upside. Dobson averaged 5.38 shots blocked per 60 minutes. He had 28 takeaways and led the Islanders in Corsi For Percentage with 51%. Throughout the entire season, he was the Islanders’ best defenceman and warranted the extension he received.
Noah Dobson had the best offensive season for an Islanders defenceman in over a decade. According to Stat Muse, the last player to even come close to putting up 50 points from the back end was during the 2009-10 season by defencemen Mark Streit. The Islanders were not an offensive-minded team under former coach Barry Trotz. Dobson performing the way he did was huge, and the Islanders have not had that offensive power on their back end in quite some time.
What This Means For Dobson
Noah Dobson has security and is arguably the best player on the New York blue line. He is the best offensive threat on the Islanders’ back end. Aside from a down year from a team standpoint, Dobson found a way to contribute and be productive and had a career year for himself. After securing an extension, he can focus on this career year and build upon it for further success. He has the makings to become the franchise defenceman on Long Island.
What Does This Mean For The Team
The New York Islanders and Noah Dobson coming to terms is huge. The days of Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy leading the back end are long gone. Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, and now Noah Dobson form a three-headed monster on the back end. While the other two are the shutdown guys, Dobson is the offensive machine. A player his age only getting better is great to have for the long haul.
Despite the cap issues that the team faces, being able to lock up Dobson was a must and a massive win for the team.
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