Yes, it’s still the Montreal Canadiens preseason. So, it’s important not to read into roster decisions too much, especially after Alex Newhook got played at center one game into the Habs’ schedule. However, there might be something to it, in the long term.
The fact the Canadiens played Newhook between Juraj Slafkovsky and Josh Anderson against the New Jersey Devils on Sep. 25 is at the very least a sign they see the newly acquired forward as someone who can play down the middle. And they should. That’s the position at which he was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche. It’s also a position he played for the Avs last season before the Canadiens traded for him at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Newhook vs. Dach in the Circle
Granted, it’s also a position at which Newhook still needs work taking faceoffs, with a 38.6% success rate in his career (53.3% against the Devils for the record). However, his theoretical competition at the position, Kirby Dach, was only 34.6% at faceoffs, before the Canadiens acquired him literally one year beforehand, also to play center, officially speaking.
One season into Dach’s Canadiens career, and it’s not like he’s improved drastically in the dot. In 2022-23, he won only 38.3% of his draws, playing primarily on the wing of the team’s top line, which comprised him and Cole Caufield between Nick Suzuki down the middle.
Still, in the time Dach got played at center last season, for example when Sean Monahan got injured last December, he showed a great deal of potential. In fact, entering the offseason, with Monahan’s contract expiring, Dach seemed like the only option to take over as second-line center. Then the Canadiens of course re-signed Monahan, which theoretically changed things in that regard… and acquired Newhook throwing a new wrench into the line blender.
Related: 3 Ways Canadiens Re-Signing Monahan Changes Everything
Keep in mind, the Canadiens also played Dach at center this preseason, in their second game against the Ottawa Senators. For his part, Dach enjoyed some success, albeit against a less-than-stellar Senators lineup on paper. He was a relatively impressive 61.5% in the faceoff circle, tallying an assist with one shot on goal and one hit. Newhook similarly had one assist and one shot on goal (three hits) against the Devils.
Both Dach and Newhook at Center?
There is of course a chance both Dach and Newhook get deployed down the middle at once. Keep in mind though, the Canadiens paid a lot to acquire Newhook (first and second-round 2023 draft picks, along with prospect Gianni Fairbrother). They also already have Nick Suzuki slotted in as their No. 1 center with permanent marker for the foreseeable future.
So, for both Dach and Newhook to play down the middle, the latter would likely have to be relegated to the third line. And, while line numbers begin to lose their meaning on especially deep teams looking to roll four lines, it’s hard to argue the Canadiens are there right now. Furthermore, with Jake Evans and Christian Dvorak (once he returns from injury) firmly established as bottom-six centers for this team (for now at least, while they’re each still on this team), arguing the case for both Newhook and Dach to play center seems moot.
Maybe in the meantime, while Dvorak recuperates, there’s the possibility, even the likelihood the Canadiens experiment with the option. Monahan should still be in the mix himself, though. And, yeah, Monahan admittedly played on Suzuki’s wing against the Senators with a great deal of success, scoring the game-tying goal to earn second-star honors. However, he also took a lot of faceoffs, leading the field at 73.3% in the game.
Enter Monahan as an Option at Center
In all, Monahan took 15 faceoffs to Dach’s 13 against the Senators (Newhook’s 15 against the Devils). So, it’s clear the Canadiens still see Monahan as valuable down the middle. Sure, it’s only one game and a preseason game at that, but another way to look at it is how even in a preseason game Monahan still took more faceoffs as a winger than Dach did as a center.
The fact is, it’s not just one game. The Canadiens also have all of last season to look back on, or at least the parts of last season Monahan played, during which he established himself as the Habs’ de facto No. 2 center behind Suzuki, despite having started the season on the latter’s wing, despite Dach having started it in that same No. 2 center position.
The takeaway here is, the Canadiens may have designs on Dach ending up at center based on his deployment against the Devils. And, truth be told, they should. They acquired him for that reason and Monahan won’t stay a Hab for long by most accounts. However, by that same token, Monahan won’t always be available to play the wing on that first line, and Dach proved himself last season as the best option they have to complement Suzuki and Caufield.
Similarly, if you see the Canadiens lining Dach up at center in a single preseason game as a sign, you have to logically conclude Newhook playing down the middle is an option too. It’s at least an option in the Habs’ minds, and it’s not a bad one either. With Tanner Pearson having been acquired, the Canadiens suddenly have more NHL-caliber depth on Newhook’s left wing than is really sustainable for their game-to-game purposes with a healthy lineup (Caufield, Slafkovsky, Pearson, Rafael Harvey-Pinard).
In contrast, the right wing needs some love (Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, Joel Armia). By sheer logic, either Monahan or Dach moves over, likely onto the aforementioned top line. Analysts can debate which one it should be until the cows come home, but the point in this case is, whichever one it is, Newhook has nowhere else to play but down the middle, whether it’s on the second or third line. And, if Newhook’s got more of a future with this team than Monahan, for example, it makes more sense to give him more ice time, especially for the sake of his development. So, put simply, Newhook at center just makes sense. Look for one preseason game at center to turn into more as a result.