The Habs Defense Are Replacing The Loss of Dobson As A Collective

The main defenseman who has stepped up in the absence of the Habs’ highest-paid player has been Alexandre Carrier, but he’s far from the only one. What makes him the one who has done the most to fill Dobson’s shoes is that he is providing the Habs with solid defence without being extremely physical, similar to how Dobson tends to play the game. Like Dobson, Carrier’s best defensive quality is being able to block shots very effectively. While the Canadiens are missing their best shot blocker in Dobson, Carrier has been able to pick up the load by averaging 3 blocks per game, which has helped a lot on the penalty kill.

Carrier has also seemed to have found the right balance between joining the rush on offence and staying back to play solid defence, which was something that was an issue with him earlier this season. With that being said, Carrier has started the playoffs playing some of the best hockey that we have seen from him this year. It might be a very small sample, but playoff hockey itself can be a small sample where players need to be at their best, and he’s doing just that.

A lot of the reason why Carrier may be playing his best hockey of the year is that he’s back to playing with Mike Matheson, with whom he had a lot of success last year. Matheson had been playing the majority of the year alongside Dobson, so Carrier hasn’t had a chance to play with his partner from last season. Meanwhile, when trying to be the main leader on his pairing, Carrier has struggled. It seems like Carrier is just better off being the partner to someone who takes the lead in their pairing, and that’s when he’s at his best.

Speaking of Carrier’s partner, Matheson has also stepped up his game defensively, as he is actually the leader on the Habs in blocks with 9 blocks in 2 games. He is also stepping up and reclaiming his role as the PP2 QB; he hasn’t needed to do much in that, but he hasn’t hurt the power play either. The loss of Dobson has certainly given the Habs’ top shutdown defenseman more responsibilities, but he has shown that he can handle it with his play as of late.

Lane Hutson has also stepped up by taking fewer risks offensively and not cheating as much defensively. He continues to be elite in his puck battles along the boards, despite his size disadvantage, using his hockey IQ to his advantage. While he hasn’t replaced Dobson’s role in any way himself, he has helped lessen the hole defensively by playing his game as solidly as he can.

Finally, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj are also both playing some of the best hockey in terms of defence by making smart plays in their limited ice time compared to the rest. They are also both providing a much-needed physical presence that will keep the Lightning from running over the rest of the Habs players. Again, like Hutson, they aren’t filling Dobson’s shoes, but they are making his injury hurt less thanks to solid defensive play. They are also shockingly the best defensive pairing in expected goals after two games.

Although the Canadiens may not get Dobson at all during their 1st round series, they will at least be able to have the core step up by committee and replace his 23 minutes a night by stepping their game up in their respective roles.

How do you like the Habs’ defence so far this postseason in the absence of Dobson?