Montreal Canadiens Acquire Alex Newhook from Avalanche

Alex Newhook was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday in exchange for this year’s 31^st and 37^th picks in the NHL Entry Draft, which now belong to the Colorado Avalanche.

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Canadiens Get Newhook, Send Picks to Avalanche

It was no secret that discussions took place between Montreal and Winnipeg regarding the future of forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. For a while, it seemed as if the trade was inevitable, that is, until it wasn’t. Dubois eventually headed south to Los Angeles, leaving the Canadiens to make a different move.

Habs management, led by general manager Kent Hughes, looked to Colorado for 23-year-old Alex Newhook. Already a Stanley Cup winner in 2022, the Newfoundland native will wear the Tricolore sweater next season. In return, the Avalanche get this year’s 31^st and 37^th draft picks as well as defenceman Gianni Fairbrother.

Newhook is still a young player and was by no means one of the big weapons in Denver. Their stars were easily getting 20 minutes or more of ice time per night, whereas Newhook was limited to about 13. In 2022-2023 he tallied 30 points via 14 goals and 16 assists. He scored only one point, an assist, in the seven-game, first round elimination against the Kraken this past spring.

Montreal’s offensive core is looking young and bright. Nick Suzuki is 23 like Newhook, and Cole Caufield is 22. Kirby Dach, who enters year two of a four-year deal signed last September, is also only 22.