Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki, Brendan Gallagher Unlocked Alex Newhook

The Montreal Canadiens’ prized trade acquisition Alex Newhook has taken his play to another gear, and his linemates should be thanked for it.

Captain Nick Suzuki and Assistant Captain Brendan Gallagher have been playing alongside the speedy winger, and Newhook has looked brilliant. The three players are intense and battle all over the ice, giving the opposition no space with which to work. Suzuki’s all-around smart play has worked wonders for both of his wingers and Newhook’s speed, paired with Gallagher’s relentless drive for the front of the net have meshed well together.

After a few line shakeups trying to find a fit for Josh Anderson, and working Jesse Ylonen into the lineup more permanently, Newhook has bounced around a bit. But finally, it appears he has found a fit, which is pretty significant because the top six look well-balanced. He gels well with numbers 11 and 14, and it appears that he is exactly the piece that will help this line in their pursuit to be disruptive and cause problems for the opposition in all three zones.

Suzuki’s knack for stripping pucks has continually put him in a position to pin players against the boards and force turnovers. Gallagher is always buzzing around, and when he sees a loose puck he is like a golden retriever chasing a tennis ball. Both players can pass the puck well and have the patience and vision to find the right pass to Newhook, who loves to rush the puck up the ice through the neutral zone.

I can get used to seeing number 15 flying down the ice, and his magnificent moustache gleaming as he creates for the Canadiens. The flashbacks of other smallish wingers flying through the zone, and creating for the Canadiens, are hard to forget. And when Newhook plays, he reminds me a lot of Paul Byron, his speed just causes problems for opponents.

Newhook is scratching the surface, but he has a ton of potential, and pairing him with players that allow him to play to his strengths is very important. Whether or not he remains on the line with Nick and Brendan, or finds new linemates, he can blow a game wide open. If his linemates can get wide open, or find him with open ice, he will exploit it, and drive the puck to the net like a dog on a bone.

He is emerging as a big piece to Martin St. Louis and Kent Hughes Canadiens puzzle, and he has the potential to score some big, important goals simply by skating past defenders. The shot and puck skills around the net are a nightmare for goalies. Newhook likes to shoot on the rush, with a quick wrist shot or a slapshot, but he can get the goaltender moving and slip the puck past them also.

Adding Newhook to a young core of Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Juraj Slafkovsky, Caufield and Kaiden Guhle is significant for the organization. When you start to think about Joshua Roy, David Reinbacher, Lane Hutson and whoever the Habs pick in the first round of the 2024 draft, the picture starts to form. With Jacob Fowler and Quentin Miller developing nicely in the NCAA and CHL respectively, the goalie situation doesn’t look too shabby.

This team is headed in the right direction, and Newhook is going to be a huge reason for the team’s success, along with the young core that will begin to take shape over the next couple of seasons. Whoever the team selects at June’s draft, will come into a pretty good situation to learn alongside some veterans who shave sparingly. Newhook and company will play the game fast and furious, and that is exactly what worked for St. Louis during his Hockey Hall of Fame career.

Speed kills, and when you arrive at where you’re going, having players like Hutson, Caufield, Suzuki and Dach among others will burn teams, when snapping the puck around the offensive zone. Newhook is going to continue creating, and I think if he continues shooting the puck, he could be a threat for 20-25 goals. Maybe more in the future.

Newhook is in good hands with Suzuki, Gallagher and St. Louis calling the shots.

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