During the playoffs last season, the Montreal Canadiens got an unexpected performance from Alex Newhook. He emerged as one of their most productive forwards with seven goals and three assists over their 19 playoff games.
Newhook was particularly key against the Buffalo Sabres with six of his seven goals in that series alone, including back-to-back games with two goals in Game 2 and Game 3.
So far this offseason, the Canadiens have not made any moves to improve their Top 6, and it remains a question of what it might look like next season. While the concern is primarily at center, if Alex Newhook can continue the level he played at during the playoffs, it would be a huge boost for this team.
Newhook has spent the past three seasons with the Montreal Canadiens after being traded by the Colorado Avalanche prior to the 2023-24 season. However, he has not been much of a scorer for Montreal, with a total of 43 goals over the past three seasons but never more than 15 in a single season.
Montreal Canadiens would be smart to get Alex Newhook more scoring chances
One of the ways that Alex Newhook can make more of an impact is just to get more shot attempts over the course of a game. During the regular season, Newhook had a career-best shooting percentage of 21.3% but took only 61 shots, which was just under 1.5 shots per game.
In the playoffs, Newhook maintained that shooting percentage at 21.2% but was shooting slightly more at 1.74 per game. If he maintains that shot average over a full 84-game season while keeping a shooting percentage over 20%, Newhook would have almost 31 goals in a season.
That type of increase would be exactly what the Canadiens need as it would take pressure off players like Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, and Juraj Slafkovsky to carry the scoring load by themselves. By making him a permanent part of that second line, with Ivan Demidov on the other side, it can increase his ice time and help generate those chances.
This type of opportunity could come at a perfect time for Alex Newhook, as he is set to be a restricted free agent after this season. If he is able to play at that level, it could help his side of negotiations, especially in arbitration, to earn a bigger contract moving forward.
While it might cost the Montreal Canadiens more, they certainly wouldn't complain if Newhook was able to turn into a 30-goal scorer. It is likely a long shot, based on what he has done in his career to this point, and it is tough to sustain a shooting percentage over 20%.
However, after what he showed in the playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens should at least give Alex Newhook a chance to secure a spot in the Top 6 heading into next season.
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