The Islanders have Dobson on the trade block, could Columbus land him?
The New York Islanders have reportedly put their young star defenseman Noah Dobson on the trade block. Could the Columbus Blue Jackets be the team that lands him?
Dobson, 25, has been a huge part of the Islanders' blue line during his six-year NHL career. The former 12th overall pick from the 2018 NHL Draft could be on the move to a new home.
According to reports, some believe that the Islanders are dangling him on the trade market to see what the return could be.
For the Blue Jackets, it could make a lot of sense. GM Don Waddell has openly stated that he wants to reward the team for their great season while also not jeopardizing the future.
Dobson could definitely help the team while also being a big part of their future. At 25 years old, he would fit well alongside Ivan Provorov, Zach Werenski, Denton Mateychuk, and Dante Fabbro as the core of the blue line for the foreseeable future.
If the Blue Jackets were able to add Dobson, he would slide right next to Werenski on the top pairing as a right-handed shooting defenseman.
Dobson is a pending RFA at the end of the season and currently makes $4 million. He will likely expect a raise, which the Blue Jackets can easily afford.
However, they won't want to go higher than Werenski's $9.5 million, which makes sense. It would keep an internal cap structure on its blue line. If Waddell can get Dobson signed for $7-8 million and Provorov somewhere around $7 million, it would lock up their defense core while the team continues to improve.
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