In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Adam Gretz ranked each NHL team's best defenseman heading into the 2025-26 season. For the Montreal Canadiens, Gretz picked newcomer Noah Dobson as the club's best defender.

Dobson ended up being near the middle of the pack in Gretz's rankings, as he secured the No. 18 spot in it. With this, he ranked ahead of other teams' top blueliners like Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings), Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild), Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh Penguins), and Morgan Rielly (Toronto Maple Leafs).

Dobson appeared in 71 games this past season with the New York Islanders, where he recorded 10 goals and 39 points. However, he has shown in the past that he is capable of providing much more when playing at his best. Just back in 2023-24 with the Islanders, he scored 10 goals and set career highs with 60 assists and 70 points in 79 games. He also scored 13 goals in his two previous seasons before 2023-24, so he certainly can provide nice offense from the point. Thus, it makes sense that he appeared on Gretz's list.

It will now be fascinating to see what kind of season Dobson can put together for the Canadiens in 2025-26 from here. He should be a massive part of their blueline moving forward, and he could thrive playing on a Habs team that has more offensive skill than the Islanders.

Canadiens Defenseman Appears On New Trade Board Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report has released his <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25239139-br-nhl-trade-block-big-board-august-2025">latest NHL Trade Block Big Board</a> for the month of August. Among the 15 players who made Richardson's trade board is <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens">Montreal Canadiens</a> defenseman Mike Matheson. 

Where New Canadiens Star Ranked On Top Defender Rankings