Noah Dobson trade whispers hint at massive Islanders draft night shake-up

Wow, the New York Islanders might be raring to make a few major changes either in the days leading up to, during, or shortly after the NHL Draft. Or, they might do nothing at all, and just add an NHL-ready player with the first pick. 

This is when things get ultra exciting if you’re following the team closely since the story will change dramatically based on what general manager Mathieu Darche decides to do here. Darche could be throwing massive smokescreens, and if that’s the case, I’ll applaud him. 

But if he ain’t, then not one but two big trades could be in the works. Last week, I talked about the Isles possibly making a trade with the Bruins that could involve the No. 7 pick. This week, it’s all about Noah Dobson and a potential swap in the works with the Detroit Red Wings. 

Could the Islanders really send Noah Dobson to Hockeytown?

It surely seems like something’s in the works, per Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff. Should Dobson go to Hockeytown at some point this week, it means Matthew Schaefer will be sitting in his seat come Friday night. 

Of course, right now, we can only speculate. But if Dobson goes elsewhere, be it Detroit, or into the Western Conference or whatever, it would be tough to pinpoint what Darche is trying to do here. 

You might remember that he extended Kyle Palmieri earlier in the offseason, and doing so indicated the Isles may be in for less of a retool if it meant keeping their seasoned veterans around. But to keep Palmieri and possibly trade away Jean-Gabriel Pageau (see the Bruins/Isles trade discussion) or Noah Dobson?

I don’t know what kind of message Darche is trying to send here. If it were me, I never would’ve re-signed Palmieri, and I’d be doing all I could to keep Dobson around. Sure, Dobson stagnated last season, but I’m not letting one subpar season define what he’d done on Long Island. 

The Islanders would get the No. 13 pick in a potential trade with Detroit

Before anyone castigates me over what I just said, here’s the obvious upside: The Isles just got the 13th pick should news break that they traded Dobson to Detroit. That would be a baseline, since Dobson would join a group of Red Wings blueliners that includes a brewing stalwart in Moritz Seider, an up-and-comer in Simon Edvinsson, and a pair of wild cards in Albert Johansson and Axel Sandin-Pellikka. 

I mean, that would be magic in Hockeytown, but it would give the Isles not one, but two picks in the top-15. And I also guarantee you a mid-tier yet high-potential prospect would join the fray in Bridgeport, where the Isles just hired a new coach.

Anyway, I’m looking very forward to seeing what Darche does here, and as you can see, there’s a light and dark side to this one. We’ll see if Dobson’s wearing a winged wheel at some point, and if the Isles hit a pair of home runs on draft night should that be the case. 

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