NHL Rumors: Elliotte Friedman believes Islanders 'testing the market' for $12,000,000 star D-man

Noah Dobson's future with the New York Islanders is seemingly uncertain.

One year removed from a breakout, 70-point (10 goals, 60 assists) 2023-24 campaign, the star defenseman could find himself on the move this summer.

Dobson had a down year in 2024-25, seeing his production almost cut in half, while his plus-minus also plummeted. Combine that with the Islanders likely landing top defensive prospect Matthew Schaefer in the 2025 draft, and their first-round pick (12th overall) from 2018 could become expendable.

Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared the latest on Noah Dobson during the most recent episode of "32 Thoughts: The Podcast." He posted the link to the podcast on X (formerly Twitter).

"Yeah, I think the Islanders have a bit of a decision to make here. I have heard quietly that the Islanders are testing the market on him. I think they just want to know. I know there have been a lot of Romanov rumors, but I've had a few people tell me that Dobson is the guy to really keep an eye on. And at this point in time, I don't even know if they do it, but I think, like, they know if he is what he can be, he's an eight-figure guy, right?" Friedman said (40:00).

"And since you're a year away from free agency, you've got a few different things you can do. You can sign them now and then trade them later. If it doesn't work, you can try to go for a one-year deal and walk them right to free agency, but that's risky because you can really upset the players. We saw with Swayman that arbitration is a really hard thing, or you can deal them now. And I think the Islanders are investigating all possibilities. You know, I think they know he's going to be an eight-figure guy. So the Islanders have to decide, are we going to pay that, or is someone else going to pay that?" Friedman added.

Dobson is an RFA, having just played out the final season of the three-year, $12,000,000 contract extension signed to stay on Long Island in 2022.

The Islanders blueliner has joined one NHL insider's trade targets board

Elliotte Friedman isn't the only NHL insider hearing Noah Dobson's name swirl around the rumor mill.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff added the 25-year-old to his recently updated offseason trade targets board. He shared the link to the article on X.

Dobson came in at number 25 on the list of 35 players from Seravalli.

This will be an interesting situation to follow in the coming days and weeks, as plenty of teams around the NHL would certainly be interested in acquiring a player like Noah Dobson.