Islanders’ past deals could lend insight into potential Noah Dobson extension

Extending Noah Dobson’s contract was not the first order of business for the Islanders during what should be a truly fascinating offseason after general manager Lou Lamoriello signaled openness to change on breakup day seven weeks ago.

Kyle MacLean, Maxim Tsyplakov and Marcus Hogberg have already beaten the rising star defenseman to the punch in putting ink to paper and more could come at next week’s draft, with Dobson ineligible to sign until July 1.

Extending Dobson does not have any bearing on whether the Islanders will change tack, or the degree of change that will be involved, if so.

Still, it is arguably the most important item on Lamoriello’s to-do list this summer, the same way extending Ilya Sorokin was a year ago, the same way extending Mathew Barzal was two years ago.

That is the class in which Dobson now walks as he enters his age-25 season.

Any and all questions about his value were asked and answered during a campaign in which Dobson saw a dramatic uptick in ice time and played against the toughest opposition after injuries decimated the Islanders’ back line, proving himself more than equal to the task by putting up 70 points and establishing himself as one of the league’s best young D-men.