Canadiens Trade Talk
Canadiens Trades: Alex Newhook Scouting Report Via Colorado
Newly acquired Montreal Canadiens center Alex Newhook will certainly have an opportunity to shine with his new team, especially when you consider his average 5v5 ice time with the Colorado Avalanche was below 13 minutes per game.
It’s also rather encouraging to see that 26 of his 30 points last season came at even strength, which is always a good indicator that a player can bring long-term value to the table.
To get a better idea of what Canadiens fans should expect from Newhook we spoke to Colorado Hockey Now‘s Evan Rawal, who knows the new Hab better than most.
“First off, he’s a great guy. He had a tough year but always was open to talking and a great interview,” said Rawal. “On the ice, it was very up and down season.”
The FIRST NHL goal for Alex Newhook! 🚨#GoAvsGo | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/R7tfSWlZS7
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 22, 2021
Statistically speaking, Newhook had the lowest points/60 season of his career, which supports Rawal’s report that inconsistency was an issue.
“He got a shot as the second-line centre to start the season, but went pointless in the first 8 games,” explains Rawal. “From my point of view, he gets down on himself very easily. He’s got a great shot and release but struggles to use it consistently. He also has a hard time finding open ice to use his fantastic shot.”
Newhook averaged 5.6 shots per 60 in 2022-23, a significant drop from the 7 shots per 60 he generated the previous year.
“The Avs used him in the bumper spot on the PP, but in College, he was deadly along the wall. He seemed to finally get better as the year went on, but Bednar liked him more on the wing most of his time in Colorado. He works hard and has a lot of talent, but a fresh start will be good for him. He’s small and gets knocked off the puck easily, but puts in the effort defensively.”
This is the type of deal that will take several years to properly judge, but for now, it seems clear that the Montreal Canadiens are trying to tap into the same magic that they produced when they traded for Kirby Dach.
And if we dig a little deeper into the underlying numbers, Newhook’s numbers are very similar to Dach’s stats at the time of the trade.
It’s always incredibly difficult to get a read on a player evolving in a different system, which means that despite the high price the Canadiens paid to acquire Newhook, his age, potential, and style of play should give him plenty of opportunities to become an important part of the rebuilding roster.
Dach's profile before last year is similar to Newhook & Montreal fixed him. Different physical traits/playing styles, but it's a guy who had some strengths that couldn't put it together. pic.twitter.com/aSgHlpMCwB
— Corey Sznajder (@ShutdownLine) June 27, 2023
“I think he needs to get stronger, but I’m not sure how much stronger he can realistically get, so I would say his biggest improvement needs to be finding open space,” explained Rawal. “Like I said, he’s got a great release, but really struggled to get looks all year long. Playing with a distributor would be big for him. I think he’d be better off as the shooter on the line, as opposed to the puck carrier. He spent a lot of time with guys like Cogliano and Logan O’Connor. Not exactly players built for offence.”
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Although they are essentially the exact same age, Dach has played 51 more games so far. That’s 4 seasons to 3. So Newhook is still figuring it out – just like Dach was before the trade to the Habs. In fact, Newhook’s stats last season were slightly better than those of Dach in his final CHI season.
So this could easily be another great deal for the Habs…
HOWEVER, there’s now an even larger logjam on offense on this team. Obviously now Dvorak is traded, because Newhook and Monahan have been added. That means Monahan plays on the 4th line? OK, but is that really OK?
But if the Habs convert him to a winger, then there’s yet another winger that needs to be moved. And he can’t play on the top line because CC is the LW. So, it doesn’t address that big need, and it increases the logjam.
I assume many more deals to come to create this space needed.
“He’s small and gets knocked off the puck easily”
Great. Just what we needed.
pretty sure he’s already been working on that, here was what our guys were sayin:
The Canadiens head coach is confident that a bigger role will help the forward find his game. “[Newhook] will have the opportunity to be in a better chair,” St. Louis said. “He’s a player that reflects a lot in what we’re looking for from a culture point of view, and style of play. He’s not the biggest player but he plays heavy. I think we’re able to bring a playe r into an environment where he can show more.”
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as for Kent:
“He’s very versatile, he brings a lot of speed to the lineup; he’s not tall but he’s heavy. Can he play on the wing and bring pace to a complementary role on the top-six? Can he be a third line center? Can he be a second line center? Those are all things that aret to be determined, but we feel he has the potential to do more,” said Hughes.
I like this trade… I see it as low risk/high reward… but I do think it was a rare goodbe time Michkov shows up to push us over the top 😀 h for both teams and also good for Newhook
I just hope this helps cement the BPA and make Michkov the easy pick if available – waiting 3 years just got easier for me – the young guys should already have some playoff experience
I have nothing against the guy. I just think it’s too high a price to pay for what I think will be a 3rd line player. I also worry that if HuGo envision him in the top 6, then I can’t imagine they would want to add Michkov to that mix that already contains Caufield & Newhook. Expecting our offence to come from a bunch of little guys playing in the Atlantic division and Eastern conference playoffs for 4 rounds is a recipe for disaster. If you are old enough to remember the mighty mites teams of the early 2000s, you will already know that it doesn’t work come playoff time. I’m fine with Caufield and Michkov because they’re elite, but Farrell, Mesar, Mysak, Simoneau, etc are too many wee fellas to survive the grind of 4 playoff rounds. Adding Newhook to that mix doesn’t help.
not sure what happen to some of that reply… cpu keeps freezing up in these comments – it cut some stuff and moved it, lol – I ain’t redoing, you get the jist, 😉
😁👍
Long time Avs fan and subscriber to Colorado Hockey Now. The biggest problem with Newhook and there are two of them – 1. He’s not a center. He gets knocked off the puck easily. A slight breeze and Newhook is out of the play. 2. He can’t create space to get his own shot. Not there. He does have a very hard and quick shot. If Montreal can find a way to create space for him on the wing – – have him in the slot, open (a big if) – then you’ll see his production increase.
Thank you for the insight. It confirms my disappointment with this trade.
It’s not that Newhook lacks talent. He’d be best off as a wing with someone who can create space for him, IMHO. Get him in the slot with more shots and he’ll be a goal scorer. Personally, I don’t understand Montreal’s GM and strategy. Especially with the Lehkonen deal for a player, in his prime, that contributes both ways. I’ve watched the Canadiens since the original six. I always thought that the Montreal announcer was talking about sex when he announced a goal in English – “Time of the goal, “un a gone, sex a gone.”
I have nothing against Newhook. I just think we paid too high a price for what I think will be a 3rd line guy.
The last part… 😂 It’s funny you say that because in the 80s, my mom was convinced Bob Cole was a pervert because he would use phrases like “thrusting up the middle” and “going hard down low” and she felt those were blatant innuendos. It still cracks me up to this day when I hear an announcer use any kind of phrase like that.
Add to that, which a young lady at the office once said to me, “I don’t care about football, at all, except when they talk about penetration.” Priceless.
And perhaps all the ass-slapping. 😂
He is fast but small, we need to get bigger especially in the top 6. The habs paid a big price on this little player. Wow disappointing. I do not understand their thinking.
I’m very excited for the possibilities with Alex Newhook . Lots of speed coming to the Habs as was indicated by HuGo in the early going . Can’t wait to see you with the Canadiens. A bonus to get another maritimer too . Welcome Alex !!
low risk/high reward
rare trade that feels good for both teams and for Alex (win-win-win)
Now make sure it’s BPA at 5 – this young team should have some playoff experience by the time Michkov gets here to push us over the top 😀