When Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes decided to pull the trigger on the Noah Dobson trade with the New York Islanders last summer, he knew he was getting an offensively gifted defenseman. Nine months later, the right-shot blueliner is sixth in scoring on the team with 46 points, second only to sophomore Lane Hutson amongst defensemen.
That was expected; what wasn’t expected, though, was the fact that Dobson, after 75 games, would be leading the league in blocked shots. The 6-foot-4 and 200 lbs defenseman has 182 blocked shots at the time of writing, just one more than Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman Jake McCabe. The next Canadiens player in those rankings is Alexandre Carrier, who has only 155. Dobson may not finish the season at the top, but it’s still remarkable that he has so many blocked shots.
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Last season, he finished with only 126, and the highest number he had prior to this year was 180, in his career-best 70-point season in 2023-24. In the two seasons before that one, he had only 104 and 154. What this shows is that Dobson, just like his teammates, is buying what Canadiens’ coach Martin St-Louis is selling.
The bench boss keeps telling his players that some actions are not fun, but they have to be done to play a good team game. Blocking shots for defensemen is like dumping the puck and forechecking for forwards; both require a higher level of physicality, and Dobson has never been known for that. This season, though, the rearguard has no issue sacrificing his body and throwing himself in front of pucks for the greater good.
Say what you will about St-Louis as a coach, but he certainly has the respect of his players, and they are willing to go into battle for and with him. Whether they’ve been there since he arrived or they’ve just started working with him, the coach is getting through to his players, and Doson is living proof of that.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
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