As the trade deadline draws closer, the names appearing in the rumor mill starts to heat up. And New York Islanders’ 25-year-old top right-handed defenseman Noah Dobson, who’s a pending restricted free agent at the end of the season, is one of the more intriguing options to hit the scene recently.
Dobson has 388 games of NHL experience to his name over six seasons and has recorded 230 points in that time, with 83 of them coming on the power play. His career high came in 2023-24 when he posted 70 points in 79 games. He recently changed agents, more than likely indicating he’s going to squeeze a big payday out of the Islanders, or that he’s ready for a change of scenery and the new guy will make it happen.
So should the Flyers be attempting to acquire Dobson either at the deadline or offseason? Let’s weigh some pros and cons!
Pros
PP QB
In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Flyers’ power play is dreadful. It’s been at the bottom of the NHL standings for the last three seasons, and is only slightly improved during 2024-25. And a large reason for their struggles is the lack of a point man who’s capable of steering the ship. Jamie Drysdale hasn’t stepped into the role as hoped and the coaching staff really haven’t given an opportunity to Emil Andrae to replicate his success he had in the AHL in the same role. Dobson would come in and immediately be their best option to hold down the fort and he’s got a proven track record of success when it comes to producing on the man advantage.
He’s a top RHD
The Flyers still need some kind of plan at right-handed defenseman. Sanheim is a lefty, Ristolainen is fine, but he’ll be 31 this season and may very well miss a chunk of next season after offseason surgery. That leaves Jamie Drysdale, who has played well in limited minutes but hasn’t become a full fledged top four option yet, as their lone righty on the team. Oliver Bonk make the professional leap next season, but beyond that they don’t have much going for them at the position. Adding Dobson gives them a proven talent in a key role. Plus, having Dobson take the top spot significantly reduces the pressure on everybody else from playing in roles over their heads.
Offer sheet candidate?
A trade isn’t the only way to go about acquiring Dobson. The Flyers could always offer sheet him if Dobson is interested in leaving but their front office isn’t interested in playing ball. If the player is expecting a massive contract anyway and his trade value is going to be through the roof, there’s not necessarily a huge downside of sending him an offer sheet instead of going the traditional trade route, and Danny Briere would get all the brownie points for taking a bigger risk if it ultimately works.
Cons
Isles turning it around?
The Islanders moved on from Lou Lamoriello and won the first overall pick in the lottery. That means they’re probably drafting Matthew Schaefer first overall, who would theoretically ride shotgun with Dobson in the NHL. It could be a sign of change that may sway Dobson’s opinion, or maybe the new front office regime won’t be as keen on moving him. Either way, the door closes slightly on a potential deal one way or another with the fortunes of the organization changing.
His new contract
Dobson recently switched agents, meaning he’s serious about cashing in on his next contract, be it with the Islanders or elsewhere. Earlier in the year, we looked at comparable contracts for a potential Cam York extension, and Dobson fits in a similar group of top young defensemen in the league. It’s not going to be cheap, and with the cap projected to sky rocket in the coming years, the new AAV could be a tough pill to swallow at least in the immediate future for the Flyers, who haven’t exactly managed cap space well lately.
Conclusion
It may be buried down the wishlist a bit because of glaring problems elsewhere on the roster, but the need for a true power play QB should still be a high priority for the Flyers. And Dobson is the caliber of player that doesn’t become available every day, especially at a young enough age to be effective for years to come.
In a perfect world, there shouldn’t be any hesitation here. He’s not an aging rental, it’s not a frivolous addition for unnecessary role, Dobson is a guy that can be a pillar at a key position for the foreseeable future, addressing both the weakness at RHD and on the powerplay.
His trade value is interesting. He’s an RFA, so even if he just flat out refuses to sign with the Isles, he can’t really go anywhere voluntarily. The Islanders aren’t gonna let the guy go cheap, but they’re not exactly negotiating from a point of absolute strength either. In this day and age, any acquiring team is going to need to know that he will ink a deal with them before negotiations even start, particularly if the Isles aren’t going to waiver from a high price tag they should rightfully have on a player like this.
Dobson is actually one of the more interesting situations when it comes to how teams and players navigate the new increase in cap space. The UFA pool is pretty weak and Dobson is arguably the best RFA in the 2025 class as well, when factoring in age, experience and proven ability. As noted in the link above, it’s not uncommon for top young defensemen to be getting max term deal hovering around $8-9 million annually. And if you’re looking at the % of the cap and not the dollar value, 9 to 12 percent of the cap space (which players like Mo Seider, Cale Makar and Rasmus Dahlin signed their current respective deals around) is a significantly different number from your typical 8x$8 when the cap is expected to rise to $113.5 million by 2027.
So if he were to be acquired and ink a long-term deal, exepct the cap hit to be lightly higher than normally expected, with the idea that it will be offset in the coming seasons with the rising cap. It doesn’t help things in the short-term for a team like the Flyers that aren’t exactly rolling in cap space, but if Dobson and his agent were smart negotiators they’d try to get that bag now.
The Flyers have more than a few disposable assets even if the Islanders want to jack up the price for a divisional rival. The talent pool in 2025 both via trade and free agency just isn’t spectacular, meaning paying up for any upgrade is just going to have to happen if they want to play ball. Briere can’t throw his hands up in the air and run back an identical product for a second summer in a row because there wasn’t any low hanging fruit available. It is just not a smart play from the front office to avoid confrontation again. So if they’re serious about making roster changes, they may as well break the bank on someone who’s worth it, and Noah Dobson fits the description for the Flyers.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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