Brock Faber's new contract will serve as the benchmark for Noah Dobson and the NY Islanders

With the first significant salary cap increase since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, NHL contracts are on the rise as teams have more money to work with.

Earlier today, the Minnesota Wild extended defenseman Brock Faber, giving the 21-year-old an 8-year, $8.5M AAV deal.

Faber, who was traded to the Wild from the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of 2022, was the main piece that helped orchestrate Kevin Fiala to the City of Angels.

Faber has played just one full season in the NHL but has already proven himself as one of the league's up-and-coming blue-liners.

As things typically go across professional sports, contracts signed by the top players serve as the benchmark for the next guy. In this case, Faber's new deal will likely be the starting point for Noah Dobson and Maloney & Thompson Sports Management, in their negotiations with the NY Islanders.

Faber finished his first season with 8 goals and 39 assists, eating up, eating up nearly 25 minutes a night. Dobson, who just finished his fifth NHL season and is three years older than Faber, had a breakout season, finishing with 70 points (10 G, 60 A), and was in consideration to be a Norris Trophy finalist through three-quarters of the season. Dobson's play fell off a bit at the tail end of the season but still put up the best numbers for an Islanders defenseman since Denis Potvin.

With one year left on his 3-year bridge deal worth $4M AAV signed in 2022, Dobson is eligible to sign a new contract at any time.

Lou Lamoriello has a decision to make whether he looks to wrap up Dobson before his contract expires or wait to see how this season plays out. With Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson's contracts set to come off the books on July 1, 2025, Lamoriello will have excess cap room to get his top defenseman under contract for the extended future.

Dobson's camp was always going to ask for excess of $8M per season and Faber's deal now gives them extra leverage.