Trade Completed Between Canadiens and Islanders: 'I Wanted to Keep Him,' Says Mathieu Darche
Photo credit: Habsfanatics/NHL
The acquisition of Noah Dobson by the Montreal Canadiens completely changes the outlook of the team's defensive corps. The same can also be said for the New York Islanders.
The Islanders' 2018 first-round pick was traded to the Canadiens last June, but it was clearly not the wish of Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche.
As reported by DansLesCoulisses, the former Canadiens player admitted to The Athletic journalist Pierre LeBrun that he really did not want to trade his star defenseman.
Mathieu Darche says he did not want to trade Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens
However, since he was unable to reach an agreement with Dobson's camp, he had no choice but to move him.
"I wanted to keep the player, but in the end, we couldn't come to terms on a contract."
- Mathieu Darche
- Mathieu Darche
Instead of entering a contract standoff that could have become a distraction around the team, Darche preferred to maximize Dobson's value by trading him to the Canadiens.
He managed to secure two first-round picks in the last draft, which turned into Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson, along with forward Emil Heineman, one of Montreal's breakout players in 2024-2025.
Darche did not say he regretted the trade, but he confirmed he absolutely did not want to move Noah Dobson.
He simply had no choice, and with the NHL Draft fast approaching (at the time of the deal), he had to maximize his asset and accept the best offer available under the circumstances.
He also had to send Dobson to a team where the defenseman was willing to sign long term (such as Montreal), which added to the challenge, to say the least..
In the end, it's an excellent trade for Kent Hughes, and it could also turn out well for Darche, especially if young players Eklund and Aitcheson develop properly.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 22 | 1340 ANSWERS Trade Completed Between Canadiens and Islanders: 'I Wanted to Keep Him,' Says Mathieu Darche Who do you think will be the Montreal Canadiens' number one defenseman in two years? | ||
| Noah Dobson | 293 | 21.9 % |
| David Reinbacher | 67 | 5 % |
| Lane Hutson | 869 | 64.9 % |
| Kaiden Guhle or other | 111 | 8.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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