NHL Network has unveiled the top 20 players at each position for the 2024-25 season. Last night’s show focused on defensemen, with Noah Dobson coming in at number 15.
To no one’s surprise, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar took the top spot on the list, while his partner and former Islander Devon Toews came in at number 10.
Earlier this summer, Ilya Sorokin was named the league’s fifth-best goaltender, while Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat were removed from the winger and center lists.
Dobson comes in 15th
The NY Islanders defenseman had the best season of his career last year, finishing with 70 points (10 goals, 60 assists). It was the best offensive season for an Islanders defenseman since the days of Denis Potvin.
Dobson, 24, has improved season after season, with his breakthrough coming in 2023-24. For much of the season, he looked like he was a Norris Trophy contender, but in the final 17 games of the season, he didn’t seem to be scoring points as easily.
With Dobson being the only Islanders defenseman capable of scoring on a nightly basis, Patrick Roy will rely heavily on him if the Islanders are to be successful this season. He will move to the right side of the blue line and create points from there.
Regardless of what Dobson did last season, the 2024-25 season will be the most important of his career. Dobson’s 3-year contract, which he signed in 2022, expires at the end of the season. If he can play a season at the level he did last year, he can expect a hefty raise on his next contract. The question for the Islanders remains whether they will try to extend Dobson’s contract beforehand, or let him finish the season and then make a decision.