After a fairly intense 24 hours in town, where Noah Dobson was the talk of the hour, the Habs got their hands on the defenseman early this afternoon. It’s a huge coup for the Habs, who get a first-pair right-handed defenseman. Especially since Emil Heineman, the 16th and 17th picks, don’t come cheap, especially in a year when nobody seems to want those first-round picks. What we do know, however, is that the Habs weren’t alone in this race. We know that the Blue Jackets, for example, were also in the race right up until the very end. And this afternoon, we learned what the Islanders asked the Jackets in this matter. Obviously, the 14th and 20th picks were mentioned, but they also wanted an NHL-calibre player and another piece. As for the Habs, they didn’t have to give up that extra piece: the Islanders wanted the Blue Jackets to beat the Habs’ offer, which didn’t happen.