Early Canadiens Results From The Dobson And Bolduc Trades

The Montreal Canadiens did not hesitate to make bold trades in a bid to upgrade their roster following their somewhat surprising playoff appearance in 2024-25.

They paid a hefty price to acquire Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, and while there’s no doubt trading a pair of first-round picks carries a significant amount of risk, it was seen as a decision that would give the team the best odds to maintain their momentum through the most difficult stage of the rebuild.

Trading veterans for future assets is very easy. Picking players at the NHL Entry Draft requires due diligence, but the bulk of the work comes in the years following the draft. The real challenge comes to the forefront once a team attempts to leave the basement of the NHL standings for good, with an eye on eventually establishing themselves as legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup.

Of course, the Canadiens aren’t quite there yet, but unlike the previous management group, it’s clear that Montreal does not want to get stuck in neutral, struggling to make the playoffs while being given mediocre first-round picks as a compensation for their underwhelming results. It’s the no-man’s land of the professional sports landscape, one that quickly leads to an unavoidable level of frustration from fans, as we’ve seen in Detroit, among other rebuilding franchises that lost all momentum.

The biggest difference between the Canadiens and Red Wings is that rather than signing or trading for expensive veterans who are well beyond their prime, Kent Hughes and Co. have focused on acquiring players who fit the established time frame set forth by the players who represent the foundation of the rebuild.

For example, even though Logan Mailloux was considered a prospect in the deal that saw the Habs acquire forward Zachary Bolduc, the former Canadiens player is just a few months older than his trade counterpart.

At 22 years old, Bolduc can theoretically spend the next decade playing with a core of players who share the same ambitions.

Dobson, 25, is guaranteed to spend most of his prime years with the Canadiens due to the eight-year contract extension he immediately signed.

Montreal Canadiens Early Trade Results

As per tradition, I must warn everyone that we’re dealing with a very limited sample size. The Canadiens have only played two games this season, and the underlying numbers are far from what we’d consider eternal. They will change in the next few games, and once that information is available, we will have to reassess our position.

But as it stands, from a statistical standpoint, Dobson has enjoyed a fantastic start to his time with the Canadiens while playing alongside Mike Matheson.

We must give Matheson his fair share of praise, as he’s done a great job reminding everyone that he plays a crucial role for the Habs, despite the endless stream of criticism sent his way.

Mike Matheson might be enjoying the best individual start to the year for the Habs.

Nice pass by Suzuki to make it 3-1. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/5qWbHZIKqF

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 9, 2025

Either way, the Dobson and Matheson pairing is the only defensive combination that has managed to tread water in the early parts of the season. Playing with forwards such as Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky certainly helps their cause, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue the top pairing has been a passenger, simply befitting from playing with high-end players rather than driving the play themselves.

Even though the Canadiens handily defeated the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, marking a key win following a frustrating loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs, they did not manage to control the majority of the shots of quality scoring chances, thus having a significant impact on the available sample size.

ON TOPIC: Canadiens Highlights – Zachary Bolduc’s Red Hot Start With The Habs

With that in mind, Dobson and Matheson have controlled 57 percent of the shots (29-22), 63 percent of the scoring chances (17-10), and 67 percent of the high-danger scoring chances (8-4) at 5v5.

Consequently, their expected goals share is very nice, currently sitting at 69 percent (2.09 – 0.95).

As a reminder, the Canadiens have struggled to maintain respectable high-danger scoring chances numbers since head coach Martin St-Louis took over, a clear drag on their ability to control the expected goal share, making the early results from the Dobson and Matheson pairing incredibly encouraging.

If you focus on the end of a long shift, or a bad decision, you may have the impression that Dobson has had a hard time since joining the Canadiens, but the numbers, which are not bound to mental shortcuts such as availability heuristic, do not lie.

Dobson currently leads all Canadiens players in high-danger scoring chance share, and expected goals, while also leading all defencemen in shot share.

As for Bolduc, the underlying numbers are yet to reach the point where you could comfortably suggest he’s been a dominant presence, however, he currently ranks sixth in expected goals, trailing only the team’s top pairing and top line.

In other words, he’s been the best of the rest, a situation that is further evidenced by his goals in back-to-back games.

Zachary Bolduc now has goals in back-to-back games, a great start to his #GoHabsGo career. Smart assist by Gallagher on the play. pic.twitter.com/v2hy9t8Pb0

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 9, 2025

Again, we’re not here to declare either trade as a significant win for the Canadiens, not yet, but the early results suggest both deals have already provided healthy returns to an organization that is counting on their impact to ensure a long-term upward trajectory.

All Montreal Canadiens Statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.