For the past few seasons, the Montreal Canadiens have continued to take steps toward being genuine Stanley Cup threats in the Atlantic Division.
For the most part, this success has come through the draft, with the teams picking up the likes of Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky and their goaltending depth in the draft.
However, general manager Kent Hughes has also made some big-time trades, landing captain Nick Suzuki in a blockbuster deal with the Vegas Golden Knights back in 2018. Then, after a Stanley Cup Playoffs berth in 2024/25, they made a splash at the 2025 NHL Draft, giving up significant draft capital to land then New York Islanders blueliner Noah Dobson.
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In his first season with Montreal, Dobson put up 12 goals and 47 points in 80 games played, but he has not been seen for the Canadiens since April 11th against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In that game, Dobson took a hard shot to the left hand, and while he's not back to 100% yet, he's been taking significant steps towards a return in recent times.
On Sunday, with just hours to go before a do-or-die Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and per Sportsnet's Eric Engels, head coach Martin St. Louis revealed a very positive update, calling Dobson a 'game time decision' while stating he's confident Dobson can give them what they need if he plays.
Obviously, Dobson would be a major boost to this Habs lineup, as they have scored just 14 goals in the six games against Tampa Bay thus far, and given what we saw him do in his first season with the team, there's optimism that he could be the boost they need to win this series.
With a matchup against the Buffalo Sabres looming for the winner of this series, everything will be put on the line in Game 7, and while there's no official decision on Dobson hours from puck-drop, all signs point towards a potential return for the 26-year-old defenseman.
Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
