For Jeff Gorton, the acquisition of Noah Dobson is similar to that of Artemi Panarin

Dose
Crédit:

Noah Dobson was the Habs’ big acquisition this summer. The club had been looking for a true top-notch right-handed defenseman for a very long time (in fact, ever since Shea Weber retired), and in Dobson they got a player who fits the bill.

He’s not the same player as Weber, obviously, but he’s a top-tier right-handed defenseman in the Bettman circuit. And that’s worth its weight in gold.

That said, the acquisition of Dobson also sends a big message: the Canadiens are ready to make some big moves to lend credibility to their rebuilding project. And Dobson, in the eyes of many, is a prime example of this: the Habs paid for a big name.

And it’s not unlike another acquisition made by Jeff Gorton in another life: that of Artemi Panarin as a free agent while with the Rangers. Speaking to The Basu and Godin Notebook, Gorton was asked if he saw any parallels between the two acquisitions.

And the Canadiens’ VP hockey admits that, while he didn’t see it that way at first, it’s true that there are similarities between the two.

The two players don’t play the same position and weren’t acquired in the same way, of course, but both came to the team at a time when it wanted to give credibility to its rebuilding project and seemed ready to turn the corner. In that sense, then, there are some very interesting parallels to be drawn between these two players.

And just as Panarin wanted to play in New York, Dobson wanted to play in Montreal. That’s another thing they have in common.

Gorton admits he hopes Dobson will have the same impact on the Habs as Panarin had on the Rangers, and he’s far from the only one in Montreal hoping for that. The defenseman was acquired with great fanfare, after all, and if he plays up to his immense talent, he could change the game in Montreal.

And with a squad already banking on Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle (and, in the longer term, David Reinbacher), it’s starting to look pretty solid on the blue line.

Overtime

– Speaking of Habs defensemen.

– Well deserved.

– What do you think?

– New contract for Garrett Wilson with the Jets.

– Great read on Gabriel Diallo.