Alex Newhook’s name is starting to get around

Jonathan Di Gregorio
Alex Newhook’s name is starting to get around
Credit: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

It's no secret: the Canadiens are actively trying to improve, and Kent Hughes has been trying for some time now to acquire a second-line center.

The Habs have plenty of assets to offer in terms of draft picks and prospects to seal a deal.

The problem is that several teams are asking for an established player who can help them right away, while several key offensive players seem off-limits. Think of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Ivan Demidov.

This was particularly evident in the case of Kirill Marchenko, a player the Habs had their eyes on, while the Leafs had to give up Matthew Knies in return—a player who nearly got traded to the Habs at last year's trade deadline.

Toronto therefore had to part with a key piece of its top-six lineup to acquire Marchenko.

However, according to David Pagnotta, who was a guest on the Hello Hockey Podcast, Alex Newhook's name could start coming up more and more in trade rumors.

Even though the Montreal club isn't actively looking to trade Newhook, he could be one of the players other teams are inquiring about, as Kent Hughes spends a lot of time finding out who's available on the market.

The Newfoundland native has been doing an impressive job at center on the second line, alongside Josh Anderson and Chris Kreider, over the past few games.

In eight games this season, Newhook has recorded one goal and three assists, with a plus-minus of -4, while averaging 16:15 minutes per game.

He made a name for himself during the Habs' most recent playoff run with five goals, two assists, and a +6 plus-minus rating. Notably, he scored both game-winning goals in Game 7 against the Lightning and the Sabres.

However, while he can fill in on a second line, Newhook isn't really a second-line center for a team aiming for major honors right now. He's more of a third-line forward, whether at center or on the wing.

For their part, the Canadiens—even though they're looking for a second-line center—have a surplus of players who can play center on the third or fourth lines; therefore, giving one up in a trade wouldn't really weaken the team's depth.

I think the Habs could get a solid return by offering Newhook, one or two quality prospects, and a first-round pick to finally land that much-coveted second-line center.


In a nutshell

– A marked improvement.

– That's great!

– Coming back to the Jets soon?

– What a start to the season.

– Kudos to the Quebec native.

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