Alex Newhook: Canadian confident he’ll be back soon

I said it earlier: since sending Sean Monahan to Winnipeg, the Montreal Canadiens only have two NHL-worthy centers. We’re talking about Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans.

That’s not exactly a mouthful.

Of course, we know that guys like Mitchell Stephens and Lucas Condotta could/should come back to Montreal. It’s even possible that Brandon Gignac, or a guy in his situation (without an NHL contract), could be considered.

But you know as well as I do that it’s not exactly dominant in the NHL. It’s going to take something more.

And on that subject, Kent Hughes (who was talking to the media following the deal) announced that the fact that Alex Newhook is close to a return to action helped make the decision. The club has reason to believe he’s close to a return.

Had it not been for this, perhaps Hughes would have waited a little longer before trading. That said, at the same time, Hughes got what he wanted and jumped at the opportunity with the Jets.

He tried his hand at some prospects (of first-round value, at the very least), but he did well to accept the first pick. With Monahan’s injury history…

Of course, we won’t hide the fact that the Elias Lindholm transaction with the Canucks accelerated the process. It gave the Habs what they wanted.

The Habs know that Monahan won’t be easy to replace. It’s going to take a contribution from the entire club to do it, which isn’t exactly a surprise.

Besides, the Habs didn’t have enough clarity about the future to offer Monahan a contract extension.

And the GM, on the subject, confirmed that if he didn’t have a good club AND couldn’t agree with the player on the basis of a new contract, that he was committed to trading him to a big club. That’s done.

As for what happens next, it will be up to Martin St-Louis to keep the guys motivated for the end of the season, which promises to be difficult under the circumstances. He must be used to it: it’s been part of his responsibilities for two years now.

So here’s a page turning.

In a row

– Logical: Patrick Roy’s assistants don’t talk to the media.

– Clearly.

– Read more.

– The rebuilding begins in Calgary. [BPM Sports]

– Well done.