How Soon Will Noah Dobson Be Back?

There are many conflicting reports regarding Dobson, some saying that they believe he has no chance of returning before the end of the series, while others believe that Dobson could be back as soon as Friday. However the truth is nobody really knows until the Canadiens make an announcement what is going on with Dobson. The positive is that with him skating every day ahead of each practice or during morning skates, it is a sign that he must be close to coming back to the lineup.

If he does indeed return to the lineup, it could be hard to figure out who comes out, as both Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj have had really good performances in this series thus far. Although, the advantage should likely go to Xhekaj in terms of staying in the lineup because he leads all Habs players in hits despite having limited minutes on the bottom pairing. In fact, considering how Xhekaj has been among the most consistent players on the Habs in this series should also be the reason that he stays in the lineup unless he gets hurt.

Although, that doesn’t seem to be a worry for the Habs for now, as the Canadiens must proceed without having any expectations of Dobson returning to the lineup. Their plan needs to be that they focus on playing their best lineup that is possible to help them win. With that being said, as soon as Dobson is ready and cleared to play, he should be inserted into the lineup, as his 23 minutes a night cannot realistically be replaced by anyone else in the lineup. Not to mention, there isn’t as good of a consistent shot blocker as Dobson on the roster.

The Canadiens also miss just how well he can create offence at even strength, and while Mike Matheson has had good games early in the series, his performance has been dropping over the last two games. This is why everyone is anxious for the return of Dobson.

Do you think that Dobson could make his return to the lineup in Game 6 or 7 of this first-round series?