LOS ANGELES — For the better part of a year, the Noah Dobson contract has hung over the Islanders as a problem that must be solved.
It turned out, the solution was to get rid of Noah Dobson.
Dobson was traded ahead of Friday’s first round of the draft to Montreal, The Post confirmed, for a package including the 16th and 17th picks in the draft along with Swedish fourth-liner Emil Heineman
Columbus was also believed to be heavily involved in discussions with the Islanders, as reported by The Athletic’s Chris Johnston.
The deal reportedly includes an eight-year extension from the Habs that carries a $9.5 million AAV for the blueliner.
The Islanders could now attempt to use the draft picks to move up into the top-10 for the rights to draft Long Island native James Hagens in addition to Matthew Schaefer, who is widely expected to go first overall.
The move came after a week in which the lack of progress in contract negotiations spilled into the public eye, with Mathieu Darche ultimately uncomfortable going to territory that was in line with what the league’s top defenseman have gotten paid under the old salary cap regime.
Darche repeatedly maintained a public posture of wanting to re-sign Dobson, but by Thursday, it looked very much like he would have little choice but to trade him.
The situation, certainly, calls into question whether Dobson had any interest in remaining an Islander after a season in which he put up a disappointing 39 points and became a favored punching bag of the fan base.
Moving a 25-year-old defenseman with a 70-point season under his belt, though, represents a major risk taken on by Darche, even if there was no comfortable choice between trading Dobson or signing him.
It also throws into question whether the Islanders are really prioritizing being in contention this season, or if the sort of rebuild Darche ruled out during his introductory press conference is now on the table.
While the Islanders are set to add an exciting prospect in Schaefer, and could move again for a second in James Hagens, it’s not seen as a guarantee that Schaefer is in the NHL next season — let alone Hagens.
There is also now a massive hole on the right side of the Islanders’ defense.
Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield are now the only two right-handed defensemen in the organization with NHL experience, though Adam Boqvist is capable of playing his off side.
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Tony DeAngelo, whose path to returning to Long Island appeared closed off with Dobson in the fold, now looks like someone the Islanders could try and use as a low-cost option to try and replicate the offense-first role Dobson filled.
The immediate question, though, is whether the Islanders will indeed kill two birds with one stone and trade for the rights to draft Hagens on Friday.
The Blackhawks, Mammoth and Bruins are among the teams in the top-10 believed to be open to moving their picks.
Hagens, a native of Hauppauge who grew up an Islanders fan, was rated as the potential No. 1 pick a year ago. Now, most draft experts have him going between 5th and 7th overall, but rumors over the last 48 hours suggest a bigger slide could be in play for the Boston College center.