The Toronto Maple Leafs are poised to make a deep playoff run this season but should be looking to bolster their depth if they want a real chance at winning their first Stanley Cup since 1967. There have recently been reports that they’re interested in signing NCAA free agent Luke Haymes, but there hasn’t been recent smoke behind any potential trades. Other teams around the league have been quite active, with the New York Rangers bringing in J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks, the Anaheim Ducks bringing in Jacob Trouba from the Rangers, and almost every team seemingly busy on the phones trying to improve their roster. However, there’s one player the Maple Leafs should be looking to target if he’s available.
New York Islanders’ defender Noah Dobson, who is 25 years old, was drafted 12th overall by the Islanders in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. This season, he has scored six goals and added 18 assists for 24 points through 46 games. Throughout his career, he has scored 46 goals and added 169 assists for 215 points through 363 games which comes out to a 0.59 points-per-game average. He has established himself as a strong offensive-minded defender who has been slowly improving defensively, and his name may have been out there recently.
Related: Maple Leafs Interested in Signing NCAA Free Agent Luke Haymes
The Canucks were rumoured to be considering moving Elias Pettersson on top of Miller being moved already. The Islanders were connected to Pettersson and that’s when Dobson’s name got out there as a potential trade candidate. However, Elliotte Friedman believes the Islanders aren’t shopping Dobson to other teams, but rather his name got out there because the team pursued a specific player. Either way, the Maple Leafs should try to see what the asking price for Dobson would be. His name was out there already, they should see what it would take to bring him in.
Dobson Would Cost a Lot to Acquire
Dobson is in the final season of his current contract with a $4 million cap hit and is a pending restricted free agent (RFA). Last season, offer sheets were given to both Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg by the St. Louis Blues who ended up getting them both, so teams might be hesitant to allow RFA’s to enter free agency if other teams have the cap space to make an offer. With that in mind, the Islanders could consider moving Dobson at the 2025 Trade Deadline if they aren’t close on a new contract by then, rather than losing him for almost nothing.
The biggest issue with targeting Dobson is how much it would cost to acquire him. He is an elite defender who could plug into the Maple Leafs’ second-pairing and could become a massive part of their future as they try to win a championship. Realistically, they would likely have to trade a top prospect, a first-round pick, and an NHL-ready player. A trade likely looks like the Maple Leafs acquiring Dobson in exchange for Easton Cowan, Nick Robertson, their 2026 first-round pick, and a 2025 third-round pick. They may also have to move Ryan Reaves to free up some extra cap space to bring on his entire contract, but for a player like Dobson, they should be willing to make those moves.
It doesn’t sound like Dobson is being shopped by the Islanders, but if his name was tossed out there already, a trade can be completed for the right price. The Maple Leafs have the assets to make something work and should be all over the Islanders heading toward the trade deadline. They could just wait until free agency, but there’s no guarantee they would be able to convince Dobson to sign the offer sheet. Either way, they should pursue him before the March 7th deadline and should be willing to pay the expensive asking price.
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