Noah Dobson: don’t rule out a three-team deal if he joins the Habs

On the other hand, we’ve already seen some action today with the rumours surrounding Noah Dobson. The Islanders are reportedly shopping for the services of their defenseman, and we know that the Habs (for whom he’d like to play) have tabled an offer for his services.

That said, this evening, David Pagnotta talked a little about the Islanders in a video clip posted on X, and what’s interesting is that he wouldn’t be surprised if, in the event of the Islanders trading Dobson, they were to use the assets acquired in that trade to conclude another one.

The goal? Try to move up in the top-5 of the draft to select James Hagens, a Long Island native and the envy of Islanders fans, who are already dreaming of the “Schagens” duo tomorrow night.

The Canadiens, who have only the 16th and 17th picks, are not in a position to offer the Islanders a pick that would allow them to obtain Hagens. On the other hand, if this becomes a three-team deal, there’s plenty to talk about at the Mammoth, for example, which has publicly stated that the 4th pick in the draft is available.

And if it becomes a three-team deal, could the Habs try to pick up Barrett Hayton in the process? That’s pure speculation, of course, and it would be expensive… but it would solve two problems in town.

Otherwise, we know that in 2023, Barry Trotz really wanted to draft David Reinbacher, to the point where he offered Yaroslav Askarov and picks to the Habs in an attempt to get the 5th overall pick. This year, it’s the Predators who have the fifth pick… and that, too, could be used to select Hagens, who isn’t likely to be selected in the top-5.

We know that in Nashville, guys like Ryan O’Reilly and Jonathan Marchessault have been linked to the Habs in recent months. Maybe if Reinbacher is on the table, there’s a way to negotiate here.

In a world where the Canadiens are able to interest one of these teams, it’s far from impossible that Mathieu Darche would be more interested in sending Dobson to Montreal. Because right now, you really have to wonder whether James Hagens is the key to this deal.

I can’t wait for tomorrow night. How about you?

Overtime

– Nikolaj Ehlers will test the market next Tuesday.

– Brad Treliving confirms that he expects Mitch Marner to test the market.

– Could he be on his way to Ivan Demidov?

– Connor McDavid: an eight-year contract is not expected.

– Nicolas Roy could be sacrificed to Vegas.