Alex Newhook: a few days after the transaction, we’re still waiting to hear from him.

Between now and 5 p.m. this afternoon, the Canadiens will have to decide which of their upcoming compensated autonomous players (contracts expire tomorrow) will earn a qualifying offer.

Please note: a qualifying offer isn’t the final word on everything, and it doesn’t mean that the player will necessarily sign the contract. It’s simply a way of keeping the rights to a restricted free-agent player so that he doesn’t become unrestricted.

Last year, Rem Pitlick had a qualifying offer that was too high and the CH didn’t offer it, leaving him as free as a bird. That didn’t stop him from coming back to town, at a lower price.

These things happen.

That’s what’s going to happen to Denis Gurianov this year: he’s not going to get a qualifying offer, but he could still come back if the stars align. I can see him leaving, though.

Here are the eight players who will be in that position.

I can’t wait to see if Nicolas Beaudin, Lucas Condotta, Joël Teasdale and Mitchell Stephens qualify. We’ll have the answer in the next few hours.

Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylönen, who spent most of the season in Montreal, will certainly qualify. The Canadiens don’t want to lose them for nothing, of course.

And in recent days, Alex Newhook’s name has been added to the list.

The Montreal Canadiens’ new forward will become an RFA tomorrow, so he’ll need another contract to play in the NHL. Negotiations should begin shortly.

But beyond that, he’ll have to take his place in Montreal. And by that, I mean he’ll have to be introduced to the media, which hasn’t happened since the deal was announced.

All we have is a sentence in an IG post.

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A publication shared by Alex Newhook (@alexnewhook_)

Obviously, maybe the guy is on vacation right now. It’s very possible, and realistically, it’s not the end of the world if he’s not talking to the media right now.

But normally, guys talk quickly. In this case, there’s a lack of transparency as to when he’ll be able to speak.

I just wonder why. Is Newhook not available? Does the Habs have other things to worry about in the biggest week of the off-season?

As I said, it’s no big deal (although I’m looking forward to seeing him answer a few questions), but it’s out of the ordinary.

In bursts

– Well done.

– Another buyout.

– It’s true.

– Enjoy.

– Why not?