The Montreal Canadiens are on a break, and I think this is the perfect time to revisit some of the team’s decisions, as well as those made by Kent Hughes.

Today, we’re talking about Alex Newhook.

In June 2023, Kent Hughes sent a first-round pick (31st) and a second-round pick (37th) to the Colorado Avalanche for Newhook.

The Avalanche had hoped he would take Nazem Kadri’s spot as a center after their Stanley Cup win, but things didn’t go as planned.

He ended up with 30 points in 82 games, and the team decided to trade him for draft picks.

Looking Back at the Alex Newhook Acquisition by Mathias Brunet

In Montreal, despite an injury, he recorded 34 points in 55 games last year, which would translate to about 51 points over a full season.

This year, things were more complicated early on with a second line that wasn’t clicking, but he’s been finding his rhythm lately.

With Christian Dvorak likely to leave and possibly even Jake Evans, I think Newhook could become the Canadiens’ third-line center next season.

At $2.9 million per year for two more seasons, it’s not a big risk.

As Mathias Brunet rightly points out in his article for La Presse, yes, Kent Hughes sacrificed two draft picks, but looking at recent years, picking late in the first and second rounds never guarantees getting a player as good as Newhook.

In short, I still see it as a good trade. (As Brunet explains well.)

He has speed, a good instinct for creating chances, and he can still improve. I’m excited to see what he can bring.

The Habs sacrificed two picks (31st and 37th) but the odds of finding a player like Newhook’s caliber are slim.

Here are the Canadiens’ picks from around the 25th spot since 2013:

2013

– Michael McCarron (26th)
– Jacob de la Rose (34th)

2014

– Nikita Scherbak (26th)

2015

– Noah Juulsen (26th)

2017

– Ryan Poehling (25th)
– Josh Brook (56th

2021

– Logan Mailloux (31th)
– Riley Kidney (63th)