PuckSleuth
53Cap hit
$9.5M
9.1% of $104M cap
Term
7 yrs
Through 2032-33, then UFA
Clause
M-NTC
14-team no-trade list
Surplus value
−$996K
vs. $8.504M market estimate
Confirmed by the public signing announcement · source
2026-27 regular season
GP
1
Goals
0
0.0% shooting
Assists
0
0 primary
Points
0
0.00 per game
TOI/GP
21:56
PP 1:28 · PK 2:39
xGF%
40.7
5v5, -6.8 vs. last yr
Game Score
+0.05
per game
Faceoff %
—
Plus/minus
0
Blocks 2 · Hits 0
Game log
Last 5 games · NHL API
| Game | G | A | SOG | HIT | BLK | TOI | PP | PK | FO | OZS% | GV | TK | +/- | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29 @ TOR · W 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 21:56 | 1:28 | 2:39 | — | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | +0.05 |
| May 29 @ CAR · L 6-1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 20:37 | 2:54 | 4:15 | — | 67 | 1 | 0 | -2 | -0.07 |
| May 27 vs CAR · L 4-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 20:05 | 0:49 | 2:45 | — | 43 | 3 | 0 | -1 | +0.15 |
| May 25 vs CAR · OTL 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 25:34 | 0:32 | 1:13 | — | 50 | 2 | 0 | -1 | -0.03 |
| May 23 @ CAR · OTL 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24:34 | 0:56 | 1:10 | — | 83 | 2 | 0 | -2 | -0.37 |
GS = our Game Score (credit for everything he did; goals and assists count most). FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.
Advanced metrics
5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 1,396 min · percentile vs. NHL defensemen
35th percentile
22nd percentile
16th percentile
32nd percentile
35th percentile
50th percentile
66th percentile
56th percentile
14th percentile
91st percentile
83rd percentile
92nd percentile
73rd percentile
65th percentile
xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.
Play styleOffensive playmaking defenseman
Trait percentiles vs. NHL defensemen · 2025-26
Dobson is an elite passer and shooter who drives play through skill and ice time rather than physical dominance. His defensive impact lags well behind his offensive talents, making him a pure transition and zone contributor.
- Shooting volume
- 90
- Playmaking
- 88
- Zone entries(est.)
- 54
- Forechecking
- 53
- Physicality
- 66
- Defensive impact
- 6
- Puck management
- 70
- Speed
- 80
Where he shoots from
Slot 10% · Mid-range 27% · Perimeter 64%(249 unblocked shots)
Strengths
- 88th percentile playmaking with 35 assists shows elite passing ability
- 90th percentile shot volume demonstrates aggressive offensive engagement
- 80th percentile speed lets him transition play and create rush chances
Watch-outs
- 6th percentile defensive impact means he doesn't consistently neutralize opponents
- 54th percentile rush chances suggests he doesn't create many high-danger looks
- Perimeter-heavy shot profile (64%) limits prime scoring area attempts
Similar style: Charlie McAvoy (BOS), Louis Crevier (BUF)
Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.
Where his Game Score comes from
2025-26 · 80 GP
Season total +51.3, or +0.64 per game.
- Scoring
- +33.1
- Shooting
- +11.8
- 5-on-5 goals
- +0.9
- Defense
- -1.8
- Penalty kill
- +0.1
- Physical play
- +10.6
- Puck battles
- -3.0
- Penalties
- -0.6
Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.
Career stats
From the NHL's player records
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | GWG | SOG | S% | TOI | FO% | GS/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | New York Islanders | 34 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 2.7 | 13:17 | — | — |
| 2020-21 | New York Islanders | 46 | 3 | 11 | 14 | +1 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 4.3 | 16:24 | — | — |
| 2021-22 | New York Islanders | 80 | 13 | 38 | 51 | -3 | 18 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 190 | 6.8 | 21:28 | — | — |
| 2022-23 | New York Islanders | 78 | 13 | 36 | 49 | +4 | 20 | 5 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 206 | 6.3 | 20:23 | — | +0.75 |
| 2023-24 | New York Islanders | 79 | 10 | 60 | 70 | +12 | 36 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 4 | 174 | 5.7 | 24:31 | — | +0.87 |
| 2024-25 | New York Islanders | 71 | 10 | 29 | 39 | -16 | 28 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 196 | 5.1 | 23:16 | — | +0.65 |
| 2025-26 | Montréal Canadiens | 80 | 12 | 35 | 47 | +5 | 34 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 158 | 7.6 | 22:29 | — | +0.64 |
| 2026-27 | Montréal Canadiens | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 22:30 | — | +0.05 |
| Career | 8 seasons | 470 | 62 | 216 | 278 | +1 | 156 | 12 | 90 | 0 | 12 | 1032 | 6.0 | 21:10 | — |
Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team. GS/GP is our Game Score per game.
Usage
Last game: @ TOR, Sep 29
Pair 2 with Mike Matheson (13:12 together at 5-on-5) · PP2
From the NHL's shift chart.
Latest news
Headlines from news outlets and team blogs
No news about him in the last 30 days.
Sentiment & chatter
Fans
—
Beat writers
—
Media
—
Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.
Recent Game Scores
Last 10 games · goals above average
Average +0.01 per game over these 10.
Skating · NHL EDGE
2026-27, as of Oct 2
- Top speed
- 19.3 mph
- 32nd pct
- 20+ mph bursts
- 0
- Hardest shot
- 83.8 mph
- 75th pct
- Distance
- 3.1 mi
- OZ time
- 41.9%
- 56th pct
- DZ time
- 38.6%
Age curve
NHL defensemen · production index
At 26, defensemen typically produce 98% of their peak (age 24). His contract runs through age 32, when the typical level is 81%.
From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.
Contract by season
7 seasons left
| Season | Team | Cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | MTL | $9.5M | 9.1% |
| 2027-28 | MTL | $9.5M | 8.4% |
| 2028-29 | MTL | $9.5M | — |
| 2029-30 | MTL | $9.5M | — |
| 2030-31 | MTL | $9.5M | — |
| 2031-32 | MTL | $9.5M | — |
| 2032-33 | MTL | $9.5M | — |
UFA after 2032-33. M-NTC (14-team list). $66.5M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).