After incessant rumors swirling, the New York Islanders traded Noah Dobson to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Dmitri Voronkov and the 14th overall pick in tonight’s NHL Draft.
Dobson, 25, seemingly forced his way out of Long Island. First with a very high contract ask, then commandeering negotiations for himself to land in his preferred spot, all within his rights. Even so, it unquestionably hurt the Islanders in trade talks. Dobson fired his agent during the season, which turned out to be a big warning sign for the summer ahead.
Voronkov, 24, scored 23 goals and 47 points in 73 games. He is an RFA.
They could’ve landed Jordan Kyrou and potentially more from the St. Louis Blues, but Dobson refused to negotiate with any Western Conference teams, which also eliminated the Nashville Predators and Utah Mammoth from discussions.
The Islanders can now turn their focus to tonight’s draft, where they are laser-focused on drafting Matthew Schaefer, then acquiring a top-ten pick to select James Hagens.
MORE TO COME
