Islanders’ Noah Dobson expected to return Thursday after 11-game absence

New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson is expected to make his return to the lineup Thursday versus the Boston Bruins after missing the past 11 games due to an upper-body injury, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy confirmed Wednesday per Andrew Gross of New York Newsday.

Sidelined since late January, Dobson has made 46 appearances with the Islanders this season in which he has collected six goals and 18 assists for 24 points alongside 16 penalty minutes and a minus-eight rating. On the season, Dobson also sits second among team defensemen in averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time per game, behind only Tony DeAngelo.

Skating in his sixth season with the Islanders, the 25-year-old native of Summerside, P.E.I., wrapped up the 2023-24 campaign with a career-high 70 points counting 10 goals and 60 assists coming in 79 outings. In all, through 363 career contests, Dobson has tallied 46 goals and 169 assists for 215 points. Dobson has also added 10 points through 31 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders originally chose Dobson at 12th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Per PuckPedia, Dobson is in the final year of a three-year pact that carries a $4-million annual average value and is eligible to become a restricted free agent this offseason. With an important contract negotiation ahead, Dobson made headlines earlier this season in replacing his agent, as first reported by Ethan Sears of the New York Post.

In the midst of a four-game losing skid, the Islanders have fallen to 25-25-7 on the season but remain only seven points shy of the Metropolitan Division rival Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wildcard seed in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five of the past six seasons. Last spring, the Islanders were eliminated in a five-game opening-round set versus the Carolina Hurricanes.