Both teams announced Tuesday that the Colorado Avalanche has traded Alex Newhawk to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for draft picks. Here’s what you need to know:
The Avalanche traded Newhook in exchange for Montreal picks 31 and 37 in the 2023 NHL Draft and defenseman Gianni Fairbrother.
The Avalanche, the 2022 Stanley Cup champions, lost to the Seattle Kraken in the first round of the playoffs last season.
In the 159 games he played for Colorado, Newhook totaled 27 goals and 39 assists.
Instant Athletic Analysis:
Why trade Newhook?
Newhook played three seasons with the Avalanche and showed flashes of a potential best six season. After helping the team win the 2022 Stanley Cup, he entered the 2022-23 season with a chance to seize the second line quarterback role. He had an up and down season, remaining in sixth place. He’ll get a fresh start in Montreal. He is friends with the children of general manager Kent Hughes, and Hughes used to be an agent at the Newhook Agency. Montreal is also the closest NHL city to the Newhook family’s home in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Avalanche has an exhausted range of prospects. Adding choices will help them reinforce this. They also now have their first two and can trade one to a player on the list.
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