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Islanders GM 'absolutely wanted' Emil Heineman in the Dobson trade - and the gamble is paying off
Photo credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
When the Montreal Canadiens acquired Noah Dobson, many fans called it a stroke of genius and believed Kent Hughes had hit a home run.
To get him from the New York Islanders, the Canadiens' general manager gave up two first-round picks as well as forward Emil Heineman.
If the price didn't seem astronomical at first, Islanders GM Mathieu Darche clearly saw something, because Heineman is having an excellent 2025-2026 season.
And on that topic, it appears the former Canadiens player, now GM, already had his eye on the Swedish forward and even demanded that Kent Hughes include him in the trade.
The New York Islanders demanded Emil Heineman to complete the Noah Dobson trade
Otherwise, there would have been no trade at all.
That's what he revealed during an interview with RDS.ca, and his persistence ultimately paid off.
"Yes, I absolutely wanted him in the trade.
I needed a player who could help my team right away. The picks were important, but I was pushing to get Emil. There were back-and-forth discussions with the Canadiens. But in the end, I said I needed him to finalize the trade. The Habs agreed."
- Mathieu Darche
I needed a player who could help my team right away. The picks were important, but I was pushing to get Emil. There were back-and-forth discussions with the Canadiens. But in the end, I said I needed him to finalize the trade. The Habs agreed."
- Mathieu Darche
It seems Kent Hughes wanted to keep Emil Heineman and offered other pieces to his Islanders counterpart, but to no avail.
You could say the gamble has paid off for both teams, as both Dobson and Heineman are delivering excellent performances for their respective clubs.
Heineman has 16 points in 26 games, including 10 goals while playing a top-six role for Roy and the Islanders, while Dobson has 16 points in 24 games and has been a pillar for the Canadiens.
It's fair to call this a well-balanced trade that significantly helped both organizations involved.
It's also been beneficial for the careers of Noah Dobson and young Emil Heineman, as both are truly flourishing with their new teams, making it the best possible outcome.
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