The Canadiens acquired the 25-year-old defenceman from the New York Islanders on June 27 for forward Emil Heineman and two first-round draft picks – Nos. 16 and 17. The Canadiens signed Dobson, a restricted free agent, to an eight-year contract with an annual average value of $9.5 million.

The Canadiens improved by trading for Dobson, but more importantly, it signaled a new and exciting phase of their rebuild.

Montreal is on the rise, with their first stop in the playoffs since 2021. And Dobson will anchor the blue line with Hutson for years, which is a formidable pairing. That said, giving up two first-rounders and a former second-round forward is A LOT, plus the giant extension.