Montreal Canadiens: Habs Trade for Alex Newhook

True to his style, Kent Hughes made a trade in the day leading up to a pivotal draft for the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs packaged their 31st and 37th overall picks in this year’s NHL Entry Draft along with defenseman Gianni Fairbrother to the Colorado Avalanche in return for forward Alex Newhook. Newhook, an upcoming restricted free agent, will need a contract before suiting up for the Habs.

Newhook is coming off two seasons of mediocre offensive production. The 2019 first-round pick (who went one pick after Cole Caufield) has barely cracked the 30-point mark in consecutive seasons, albeit on relatively limited ice time. Playing on a stacked Colorado Avalanche team, which obviously won the Stanley Cup just one year ago, greatly limited the Newfoundland native’s ability to fill up the stats sheet. That said, Kent Hughes was almost certainly drawn to him partially because of that championship pedigree, which he earned from sitting behind the likes of Nathan Mackinnon on the depth chart.

Newhook can and has played both center and wing. The Habs, who look to infuse many young players throughout the lineup in the coming seasons, will welcome his versatility. Depending on what veterans are still on the roster by opening night, there could be openings for him as high up as the first line. Given that he averaged just under 14 minutes of TOI last season, this would be a huge increase for Newhook, who has yet to prove himself as a top-six guy in the NHL.

The trade looks very much like the Kirby Dach acquisition from last year and my proposed Adam Boqvist trade, which now seems less likely given the assets we just gave up. Ultimately, the draft picks traded away (31st and 37th overall) rarely turn into the type of asset that Newhook has already proven himself to be. Even if he doesn’t take a huge leap offensively, and remains a cheap, young forward who scores between 30 and 40 points, the value exchanged is close to equal. Of course, however, the hope is for Newhook to take strides forward offensively and become a reliable producer in the middle-six. Obviously time will tell how this trade works out for the Canadiens, but the potential for this to be a good deal is there.

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