Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes was beaming when he met with the media to discuss the acquisition of Colorado Avalanche forward Alex Newhook.

Looking for the Kirby Dach trade of 2023? It just arrived in the form of Alex Newhook!

On Tuesday afternoon, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes acquired the rights to forward Alex Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Montreal's 31st and 37th overall picks in 2023 and defenseman Gianni Fairbrother.

Newhook was a former first round pick by Colorado in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft who has not yet lived up to his draft ranking. The 22-year-old scored 14 goals and added 16 assists for 30 points in 82 games with the Avalanche in 2022-23. Despite numerous injuries throughout the Colorado lineup, Newhook struggled to earn top-six minutes.

In the playoffs, Newhook managed just one assist in seven games while averaging just over nine minutes per game.

Make no mistake, Alex Newhook is a reclamation project. He was drafted on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver between Cole Caufield at 15th overall and Sabres forward Peyton Krebs, drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights at 17th overall, but hasn't shown much of the promise of those two dynamic players. Hughes is banking on the inspiration of Marty St. Louis to unlock Newhook's full potential.

The Canadiens head coach is confident that a bigger role will help the forward find his game. "[Newhook] will have the opportunity to be in a better chair," St. Louis said. "He's a player that reflects a lot in what we're looking for from a culture point of view, and style of play. He's not the biggest player but he plays heavy. I think we're able to bring a player into an environment where he can show more." 

Hughes contrasted the environment of a top team in the NHL like Colorado with a rebuilding team like the Canadiens. While a mistake at a key time may cost a player his spot on the Avs, mistakes can be treated as a learning opportunity in the Habs' current state, explained the general manager.

Will Newhook play as a winger or centre in Montreal? His role has not been pre-determined. "He's very versatile, he brings a lot of speed to the lineup; he's not tall but he's heavy. Can he play on the wing and bring pace to a complementary role on the top-six? Can he be a third line center? Can he be a second line center? Those are all things that are to be determined, but we feel he has the potential to do more," said Hughes.

The Canadiens newest acquisition is a client of Quartexx Management, the agency formerly owned by Hughes. "When you know someone as an individual, it's easier to know if he will fit in the room. We're very confident that he will be a good piece in our room," Hughes answered when asked how that balanced into the decision. 

So will this experiment turn out as well as the acquisition of Kirby Dach?

"How high is his ceiling? I think we’re going to find out; he's going to have an opportunity to show us how high his ceiling can be," said St. Louis. "And we don’t expect him to show it on Day 1, but we’re going to try and develop him just like we do all the other young guys and try to maximize what we have in this player."

Newhook is a pending restricted free agent and will be looking for a raise from  $925,000 he earned last season.