When Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes acquired his former client Alex Newhook, he hoped he would help him shore up the Habs' center line. Two full seasons later, it doesn’t appear to have worked. It’s not that Newhook isn’t trying; the effort is there, but the results are not.
In his first season in town, the speedy skater scored 34 points in 55 games; an 82-game projection would have seen him score 51 points. This season, he did play 82 games but could only muster 26 points. His faceoff win percentage went down from 46.5% to 42.8%, which is far from ideal for a player whom the organization would have liked to play down the middle.
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You have to give him credit for adapting his play to what coach Martin St-Louis wants to see. He committed to forechecking much more than he previously had, landing 89 hits (1.09 hits per game) compared to just 36 (0.65 hits per game) last season. Furthermore, he learned to use his speed at both ends of the ice. It’s a fantastic weapon to have on the backcheck, and it does make him a more complete player.
Once Patrik Laine came back from his knee injury, he was one of Newhook’s most recurring linemates. The fact that the big Finn was far from efficient at even strength was never going to help Newhook perform better. Especially since Laine played on the first power-play unit while the center was on the second, making it impossible to develop some kind of chemistry between the two in more favourable circumstances.
At times, it almost looks like Newhook’s feet are two fast for the rest of his skill set. He will manage to enter the offensive zone at full speed, but once there, he’ll be unable to set up a play to create a scoring chance.
Two years into his four-year contract with a $2.9 M cap hit, he has yet to demonstrate why he should be part of this team’s core, but in his defense, he wasn’t put in the right chair. Hughes’ goal was never to make Newhook his second-line center, but injuries and circumstances have forced St-Louis to use him there.
He could perhaps be more efficient in a less prominent role. He’s not a top-six player, especially not on a contender. If Kirby Dach finally stays healthy this year, perhaps Newhook will benefit from moving down in the lineup.
All things considered, I give him a C on the season, clearly not because of his offensive output but because of his willingness to adapt his game to better fit in the team’s system. Next season, his mission will be to learn to reconcile this new playing style with offensive production.
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