Hours before they make the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Islanders agreed to trade defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens.

In a sign-and-trade, New York is dealing the restricted free agent to Montreal in exchange for winger Emil Heineman and two first-round draft picks -- No. 16 and No. 17 overall -- according to multiple reports.

Heineman, 23, appeared in 62 games last year with the Canadiens, tallying 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) and was a minus-6 while averaging 11:24 of ice time. He missed several weeks of this past season when he was out with an upper-body injury sustained when he was involved in a pedestrian traffic accident while crossing the street the day before a game in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“Emil is doing well,” Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis said on Jan. 14. “It’s unlucky, especially considering the way Emil plays — he doesn’t play with white gloves — and he gets injured walking down the street. It’s bizarre.

“But it sounds like the car was totaled.”

Heineman played 21 games after the accident, but registered just one point (an assist).

The former 43rd overall pick (Round 2) in 2020 had his draft rights traded twice before he came to North America from his native Sweden

Dobson, who had been the subject of trade rumors earlier this month, is coming off a rough season for the Isles, when he finished with just 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) and was a minus-16 in 71 games while averaging 23:16 of time on the ice. He recorded a career-high 108 giveaways to 36 takeaways with just 47 hits, his lowest total in the last four years. Those numbers are down from 70 points and a plus-12 over 79 games with 24:31 of ice time with just 62 giveaways to 32 takeaways and 84 hits during the 2023-24 campaign.

The 25-year-old had spent his entire career on Long Island after he was the 12th overall selection in 2018. He appeared in 388 regular-season games with 230 points (50 goals, 180 assists) and was a minus-3. He went goalless but added 10 assists and was a plus-2 in 31 playoff games over four seasons.

The Canadiens are signing Dobson to an eight-year deal with a $9.5 million average annual value.

Popular in the Community