Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic
MONTREAL — Ahead of hitting restricted free agency this summer, Noah Dobson has switched agencies, The Post has learned.
Dobson is now represented by Wasserman Hockey, having dropped Andrew Maloney of Maloney and Thompson.
The 25-year-old Islanders defenseman is in the midst of a down season and currently dealing with a right leg injury suffered on Martin Luther King Jr. Day against Columbus. He is expected to start skating during the 4 Nations break.
Dobson was eligible to sign a contract extension last summer but chose to wait, knowing that the salary cap was set to rise.
With the jump set to be more than originally anticipated, that piece of decision-making will likely pay off.
Though a restricted free agent, Dobson has more leverage than a typical RFA. He is arbitration-eligible and could choose to go for a short-term deal that bridges him to unrestricted free agency at age 27 — when the cap will be even higher — if he wants.
The salary-cap jump also means more teams will have room for a potential offer sheet this summer, though that is generally not a move restricted free agents make.
Dobson’s name has popped up in trade rumors recently, but it is not believed the Islanders are looking to move him.
Though Dobson’s season has not gone according to plan — he has just 24 points in 46 games after recording 70 a year ago — he is likely to be a cornerstone of the Islanders’ future as a top-pair defenseman in his mid-20s who is still getting better.
The question for his next contract is how this season affects Dobson’s value in the context of the cap climb.
If he signs long term, it figures that Dobson’s value should be in the $8-10 million range — figures that have typically been reserved for superstar-level defensemen in recent seasons.
That is likely going to change with the cap ballooning over the next three seasons, but it is a question whether the Islanders are comfortable going there.
The Islanders also have to get Alexander Romanov re-signed as a restricted free agent, along with Simon Holmstrom and Max Tsyplakov.
That is without mentioning the current top order of business, figuring out Brock Nelson’s future ahead of the trade deadline.
Kyle Palmieri, who along with Nelson will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is also a possibility to move ahead of the March 7 deadline.
