The New York Islanders’ defense is in a peculiar situation. As a result of the team’s cap crunch, defenseman Devon Toews was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for two second-round picks. The move gave the Islanders some extra cap room and extra assets to possibly move another bloated contract, most likely Johnny Boychuk, in another trade in the near future. As a result, with two defensemen likely out the door come next season, the team will need to see someone step up. However, the breakout candidate is likely to be in their system in the form of Noah Dobson.

The 20-year-old defenseman, selected in the first round of the 2018 Entry Draft, played in 34 games in the 2019-20 season as a rookie. Although he struggled at times to adapt to NHL play as the extra defenseman, he showed flashes of potential at various points throughout the year. He scored his first NHL goal on January 14th and tallied several fine assists throughout his season.

Even with the growing pains of a young defenseman, Dobson proved that he could play at the NHL level in the future. However, the team will need his play to step up more than ever with two key pieces to the blue line on the move. With Dobson still being young and relatively inexperienced, how can they help his development for the better?

Bring Back Andy Greene:

If and when Boychuk is moved, the team will not have a defenseman as old as he was. The second oldest defenseman on the roster is Thomas Hickey, but he hasn’t been the same player after a series of injuries. As a result, the oldest regular outside of Boychuk is Nick Leddy at age 29. However, the two lacked chemistry together before the trade deadline, and Dobson struggled as a result. Due to his struggles. the team went out and traded for former New Jersey Devils captain Andy Greene. Although Greene replaced Dobson in the lineup, he was a form of a veteran presence and mentor for the kid.

However, Dobson saw his play improve after Greene’s arrival. He was back in the lineup after an injury to Boychuk and looked more comfortable with three points and a +3 rating in the final two games before the season’s stoppage. Also, the Greene and Dobson practiced on the same pairing in training camp 2.0 and earned high praise from Barry Trotz. In an interview, he said the two were, “as good as any pair we’ve had,” and the two were solid together in the exhibition game against the New York Rangers. Even in his postseason debut in the team’s game six defeat in the Eastern Conference Final, Dobson showed poise at various moments throughout the game. As a result, Greene has been a strong mentor for Dobson, and if the team can bring him back, the two can continue to develop chemistry as he continues to learn at the NHL level.

Give Him Consistent Ice Time:

Although Trotz is one of the best coaches in the league, he does have a tendency to rely too much on the veterans. As a result, the ice time of rookies takes massive hits, and Dobson is no exception to this idea. Although he got 18:50 of ice time in his NHL debut and a season-high 20:24 in a game against the Rangers, he saw his ice time decrease sizably more often than not. He clocked between 10-15 minutes of ice time in most games, and that isn’t great for the confidence and development of a young NHL’er. While it is not a bad thing to go to the experienced players in the big spot, Trotz tended to go to the older players noticeably more often than the rookies, and to let Dobson have a chance to shine in the big spot can help him learn the game better than from on the bench. As a result, the bench and press box can only do so much for a young player, and to up his ice time, even if it brings about growing pains, will be for the better in the long run.

Let Him Play:

Letting Dobson play is similar to the prior point. Whenever he made mistakes, it often felt like he was placed too far under the microscope by Islanders fans as a result. A particular instance of this thinking was in the last game before the Greene trade. In a February game against the Golden Knights, Dobson made quite a few questionable decisions, leading to turnovers and scoring chances for the Knights. Even if the team was short on left-handed defensemen, Dobson was still considered the odd man out when Greene was acquired and was deemed lower on the depth chart. However, even though he made mistakes, it is a normal occurrence to see rookie defensemen like him make blunders. While Trotz will need to address the mistakes he will inevitably make, it’s best for the player to be out there and learn how to break down the play. As a result, the coaching staff should be more than willing to let Dobson feel out the NHL game and work with him when he does make those mistakes. Having the coaches on his side will help his confidence and development as the games go on.

Overall, Noah Dobson has the chance to be a big name that can break out in the upcoming NHL season. Even if he hasn’t broken into the NHL fully, the talent is there and the upside for his career is tremendous for him. Although he won’t become a sensation overnight, the team can very easily work with him to help his development, whether it’s to bring in a mentor for him or simply letting him get extra ice time to get a feel for the NHL level. As a result, Dobson is still a very young player that has the chance to become a household name, but how he will succeed comes down to both the player and the environment he is in.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.