After playing six seasons for the New York Islanders, Noah Dobson was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in June. He signed an eight-year, $76 million contract and is seen as part of the Habs' defensive core.On Aug. 8, NHL analyst Stu Cowan talked about Dobson joining the Canadiens on "The Sick Podcast" with Tony Marinaro, and said Dobson will play many minutes and help other defensemen."I mean, it's (Dobson's addition) gonna reduce the ice time for Mike Matheson a little bit," Cowan said. "It's gonna reduce the ice time for everybody, right? He's gonna eat up a lot of minutes. He's gonna make it a little bit easier on the other guys he's playing with."Cowan expects Dobson to start with Kaiden Guhle on the top pairing. The analyst believes they can be a strong pair for many years to come."I expect him to start off with the number one defense pairing, probably with Kaiden Guhle," Cowan added. "I think that's a really, could be a really, really effective pair for many years to come. Both guys have size. Both guys have some offensive ability."Cowan said Guhle has some nastiness and a physical style, which would make the top pairing solid.He added that Noah Dobson’s arrival will move Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson to the second pairing, giving Montreal two strong defense pairs."That makes it a little bit easier for Matheson and Hutson, which I naturally see as the second pairing," Cowan said.Noah Dobson had 39 points in 71 games last season. He scored a career-high 70 points in 2023-24. He is known for his size (6'4", 200 lbs), skill and skating.Stu Cowan believes Noah Dobson will help in playoffsOn the same podcast, Stu Cowan said he is looking forward to seeing Noah Dobson play and considered the last season a down year for him and the Islanders."Dobson, I'm really looking forward to seeing him." Cowan said. "The year before, he had 60 assists. He had as many assists as Lane Hutson this year. The skills is definitely there., Bigger body, right? So if the teams do get into the playoffs, that's going to help them.""Having another big body on the blue line, take a little bit pressure off Lane Hutson in that regard," he added.Montreal finished last season with a 40-31-11 record. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Washington Capitals. Dobson will help fill the gap after David Savard retired. He will play in all situations, including the power play.