Lost in the turmoil of the Montreal Canadiens’ overtime win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night was the fact that Noah Dobson played his 400th career game. The 25-year-old blueliner has a lot of experience for his young age, and the fact that GM Kent Hughes was able to acquire him on the trade market remains quite an accomplishment.
In 400 games, Dobson has racked up 237 points in the NHL, and after 12 games in Montreal, he appears to be thriving. In his 12 games, he has seven points, which is a 48-point pace on an 82-game season. While that’s not as high as his career-best season (70 points), it doesn’t matter when the Canadiens’ defense is the second most productive in the league with 35 points in just 12 games. It would still be an improvement on the 39 points he put up during his last season with the Islanders.
Demidov Shines in Canadiens’ Win Over Senators
Canadiens: On Jayden Struble Stepping Up
Canadiens: Caufield Wins Molson Cup For October And One Amazing Stat
Last week, assistant coach Stephane Robidas was asked for his opinion on the blueliner, and he said:
He’s an extremely intelligent guy, really good with the puck, good in transition, good in the offensive zone, in breakouts, he’s always able to find the middle of the ice with his first pass, the little plays…If you look at him and Mike Matheson, they are handling big minutes, and they’ve both been very good since the start of the season.-
Asked about why that first pairing works so well, the assistant coach said:
I think they have a good complicity, a lefty and a righty…Mike is an experienced guy who skates very well, who can defend and kill plays quickly, and is an excellent skater; both are good skaters who can support the attack if needed, but they can also defend well. Sometimes, it’s hard to understand how the chemistry between two players develops; it’s not like a math problem. The main thing is that it’s working.-
While Matheson didn’t come cheap, Emil Heineman is turning into the new Artturi Lehkonen, playing on the New York Islanders’ top line and putting up 7 points in 11 games alongside Jonathan Drouin and Bo Horvat. The Canadiens also parted with two picks that became Viktor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson. There’s no denying that he’s filling a need that has been an issue for years in Montreal.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.