Former NY Islanders Brock Nelson and Noah Dobson are having postseason struggles with their new teams

The past two seasons, the NY Islanders have made trades with massive implications going forward, moving on from two of the organization's top performers. At the 2024-25 trade deadline, Lou Lamoriello sent Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche for Cal Ritchie and a first-round pick. Before the 2025 NHL Draft, Mathieu Darche acquired Emil Heineman and two first-round picks from the Montreal Canadiens for Noah Dobson, as both moves helped restock a barren prospect pool.

In their first full seasons with their new teams, Nelson and Dobson lived up to the hype. During the regular season, Nelson finished the campaign with 33 goals and 32 assists, resulting in his third-most productive season in the NHL. Dobson scored 12 times while adding 35 assists, with his goal total one off his career best.

Unfortunately for both former Islanders, neither has seen those numbers transfer to the postseason. As the Avs were swept in the Western Conference Final, Nelson scored just twice and added a single assist in 13 games. Dobson and the Canadiens are one loss from elimination in the Eastern Conference Finals, where Dobson has just one assist through 12 games after missing the first six games of the playoffs.

Both players have received backlash from their respective fan bases regarding their postseason performances, with both earning big money and failing to produce. But we've yet to fully see the value of the Islanders' return in both deals.

Ritchie had a good rookie season and looks to have what it takes to be an effective top-6 forward. Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson, who the Islanders took with the picks acquired in the Dobson deal, have yet to make an NHL impact but appear to be on tehir way to doing so.

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