Canadiens could lose Noah Dobson to injury during Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Montreal Canadiens could come across an unexpected hurdle as defenseman Noah Dobson is dealing with an injury in the 2025-26 NHL season. With the Stanley Cup Playoffs right around the corner, the Habs may have to hit the panic button.

As the Canadiens announced on their social media, Dobson has sustained an upper-body injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Montreal had no further comment on Dobson’s injury, nor details on what exactly happened to him. The injury was sustained during the Habs’ 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 11, when Dobson had just 12:57 minutes of ice time (averages 22:29 on the season).

As a result, Dobson was left out of the lineup for the Canadiens’ matchup against his former team, the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. Dobson has now missed games for the seventh-straight NHL season. Since he made his league debut, Dobson has never played a full 82-game campaign.

Through 80 games with the Canadiens, Dobson has recorded 47 points, thanks to his 12 goals and 35 assists. In his first season with the Habs, Dobson has quickly made an impact and emerged as a top scoring option on the blue line. Dobson is the sixth-leading point scorer in Montreal, and second among defensemen behind Lane Hutson.

Noah Dobson is out with an upper-body injury

Will Dobson miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

As it stands, Dobson is scheduled for a re-evaluation by the Canadiens’ medical team in two weeks. The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs will drop the puck on April 18th, meaning Dobson will miss—at least—the first half of the opening round of the postseason. The Habs are keeping their cards close to the chest when it comes to Dobson’s situation, thus nothing can be entirely ruled out.

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Dobson could end up missing much more time just like he could be back for Game 4-7 of the First Round. Regardless, the Canadiens have some big skates to fill on the defensive side of the puck with Dobson out of the lineup. A youngster with sky-high expectations could now be asked to blossom into a big role.

Canadiens call up David Reinbacher

The Habs announced the call-up of David Reinbacher shortly after confirming Dobson’s injury. Reinbacher, the former fifth overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, made his career debut against the Islanders. It’s the first of many, and the Habs definitely hope Reinbacher can become a staple of their blue line.

Perhaps he takes over early in his career and helps the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s a next-man-up mentality, and there may not be a better replacement for Dobson than Reinbacher across the league.