New York Islanders Sign D Noah Dobson to Multi-Year Deal

Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello has earned due criticism this summer, failing to land a single free agent during the NHL's free agent frenzy. With only $11M to spend this summer, Lamoriello had several restricted free agents to retain, and it has been speculated by NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman that deals with D Noah Dobson, D Alexander Romanov, and F Kieffer Bellows were all signed, just not officially filed.

Friedman was spot on. Today, the Islanders announced they have signed D Noah Dobson to a three-year, $12 million contract ($4M AAV):

Dobson, 22, took a massive leap in 2021-22, manning the Islanders' top powerplay unit at times, and absolutely shattering previous career bests. Scoring 51 points in 80 games last season, Dobson pushed Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock for the honor of the Isles' best defenseman last season. He still has growth to undergo, but the fact that he is 22 and scoring 50 NHL points is seriously impressive.

In his top-four role, Dobson scored at an incredible rate and held his own defensively while taking very few penalties. It's worth questioning how he will fare under a head coach other than Barry Trotz, but his trajectory looks promising. With Dobson signed and on the uptick, the Isles' right side is formidable; Ryan Pulock, Noah Dobson, and Scott Mayfield present a rigid, balanced right side, which is a huge advantage against most teams. Dominant right-shot defenseman, for whatever reason, don't grow on trees, so when you have three good ones, that can be very encouraging.

With Dobson signed -- as well as Alexander Romanov and Kieffer Bellows -- the Islanders have $3 million in cap space heading into 2022-23. Having missed the playoffs last season, Lou Lamoriello visibly believes his group is still fit to contend for a Stanley Cup, though I expect him to add over the course of the 2022-23 season.

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