Habs Mailbag: Did Canadiens give up too much for Newhook and ...
What grade do the Habs get for first quarter of the season and how long before they might make the playoffs again?
Author of the article:
Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette
Published Nov 30, 2024 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 4 minute read
I was in a discussion on the Habs’ rebuild and brought up the subject of Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach. While I’m fairly satisfied with the rebuild and believe we will turn it around soon, I can’t help but wonder if we overpaid for Newhook given the production he has given us and, by extension, Dach. What is your take on this matter?
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Wallis Loewen, St. Laurent
It might look that way now, but it’s still too early to determine if GM Kent Hughes overpaid for Newhook and Dach.
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Hughes gave the Colorado Avalanche the 31st and 37th overall picks at the 2023 NHL Draft in exchange for Newhook. The Avalanche used the 31st pick to select Russian defenceman Mikhail Gulyayev, who has 2-4-6 totals in 29 games this season with Omsk Avangard in the KHL. Colorado traded the 37th pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for 28-year-old centre Ross Colton, who had 17-23-40 totals in 80 games last season with the Avalanche and had 8-1-9 totals in 10 games this season before breaking his foot in late October. The Lightning used the 37th pick to select right-winger Ethan Gauthier, who has 12-18-30 totals in 21 games this season with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs.
Hughes was looking to speed up the rebuild by acquiring Newhook and Dach, who are both 23 now and further ahead in their development than Gulyayev and Gauthier.
After trading for Newhook and then signing him to a four-year, US$11.6-million contract, Hughes said: “Can he play on the wing and bring pace to a complementary role on a top six? Can he be a third-line centre? Can he be a second-line centre? I think those are all things that are to be determined. But we believe he has the potential to do more.“
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The Canadiens are still trying to figure out where Newhook fits in the lineup, but it looks like his future will be as a winger.
As for Dach, Hughes gave the Chicago Blackhawks a first-round pick (13th overall) and a third-round pick (66th overall) at the 2022 NHL Draft in the trade. The Blackhawks used the 13th pick to select centre Frank Nazar, who had 17-24-41 totals in 41 games last season at the University of Michigan and has 9-9-18 totals in 15 games this season with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. With the 66th pick, the Blackhawks took left-winger Gavin Hayes, who had 37-39-76 totals in 55 games last season in the OHL split between the Flint Firebirds and Soo Greyhounds. Hayes has 2-1-3 totals in 16 games this season with the IceHogs.
Dach’s development took a huge blow when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game last year that required surgery. It’s not a shock that he’s struggling this season after a major injury and going almost a full year without playing a game.
We’ll have a better idea if Hughes gave up too much for Newhook and Dach a couple of years from now.
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At the quarter-mark of the season, what letter grade would you give the Habs for their results so far? And why that grade?
Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
Since the goal from management heading into this season was to be “in the mix” for a playoff spot, the grade for the first quarter of the season has to be an F with the Canadiens sitting in last place in the Atlantic Division (again) and 29th in the overall NHL standings heading into the weekend with an 8-11-3 record.
I didn’t think the Canadiens were good enough to make the playoffs this season, even with a healthy Patrik Laine in the lineup, and management might now regret using the “in the mix” line at the team’s golf tournament in September.
In what year do you see the Canadiens making the playoffs again?
George McPherson
I think they’re are at least two seasons away from being a legitimate playoff contender.
Laine, 26, only has one more season after this remaining on his contract, but if he performs well after returning to the lineup there’s the possibility of re-signing him or getting something of value in return in a trade. Ivan Demidov, who has 6-14-20 totals in 31 games this season with SK St. Petersburg in the KHL, will be with the Canadiens next season. Michael Hage, who has 8-8-16 totals in 12 games as a freshman at the University of Michigan, is probably a couple of years away from joining the Canadiens. Goalie Jacob Fowler has a 9-2-0 record with a 1.67 goals-against average, a .936 save percentage and four shutouts as a sophomore at Boston College and could be the Canadiens’ No. 1 goalie two seasons from now.
But there are no guarantees in a rebuild, as fans of the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators are well aware. The Sabres look like they could miss the playoffs for the 14th straight season, while the Senators look like they might miss the playoffs for the eighth straight year.
If you have a question you’d like to ask for our weekly Habs Mailbag, you can email it to [email protected]
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