It’s rare to see a trade that appears and feels like a win-win for both teams involved. 

That may very well be what transpired in a blockbuster deal between the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens on Friday.

Montreal acquired right-shot defenseman Noah Dobson in a sign-and-trade eight-year deal worth $9.5 million per season in exchange for two first-round draft picks in the 2025 NHL Draft (No. 16 and No. 17) and the rights to restricted free agent winger Emil Heineman. 

The star D-man is oozing two-way talent, but he fell out of favor after a nightmarish contract year on Long Island. The Canadiens are banking on Dobson, a 6-foot-4 defender with a 70-point campaign on his resume, to bounce back in a more up-tempo Montreal system.

Here’s how we would grade the trade from both the Isles and Candiens’ perspective.