The Montreal Canadiens have signed newly acquired center Alex Newhook to a four-year deal paying an average annual value (AAV) of $2.9 million. After recording 14 goals and 30 points with the Colorado Avalanche last season, the Canadiens are continuing to add to their young center depth, and locking him up for four years was key.
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After being selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Newhook made a quick transition to the NHL and already has 159 games under his belt, which is the seventh highest among players drafted that year thus far. His official rookie season came in 2021-22 where he earned a role in the middle-six, recording 33 points in 71 games. He played in a dozen games in the playoffs as the Avalanche became Stanley Cup champions.
While he is only 22, Newhook already has a lot of experience in the playoffs, including a first-round exit in 2022-23 and 20 games in the years prior. While he took a bit of a step back offensively last season, it is safe to say that he still has some untapped potential and could be a candidate for a strong breakout year with the Canadiens.
Newhook is More Than A Role Player
In a healthy Avalanche lineup, Newhook was given the role of third-line two-way center. This is the type of game he plays, but he is certainly deserving of an opportunity to show his talents in the top-six and get some offensive looks. While it is safe to say he had better linemates in Colorado than he is expected to have in Montreal, there is a lot more scoring to go around with the Canadiens and he has the opportunity to prove himself as a key member of the forward group.
With Nick Suzuki having the top center role locked in, Kirby Dach was acquired as a bit of a reclamation project and has done well in Montreal. There is speculation on whether his long-term outlook is at center or on the wing, and with the arrival of Newhook, this could be a great opportunity to move Dach to the wing and have Newhook play second-line center. It is worth a shot at the very least.
If things don’t work out that way and Dach sticks at center, having a trio of Suzuki, Dach, and Newhook down the middle is nothing to complain about. They are all very young centers with lots of potential and could stand to be the building blocks of the forward group alongside Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky.
Canadiens fans should be excited about Newhook, and with four years on a relatively low AAV, he could pan out to be a bargain deal when they eventually exit their rebuild. There was no doubt that general manager Kent Hughes was going to get a deal done after sending a first and second-round pick to the Avalanche for him, but to get him at this price is tidy work. This also gives Newhook some stability and will retain restricted free-agency rights at the end of this contract.