Alex Newhook Hasn’t Produced as Expected

Alex Newhook is a player who has NHL talent. Nobody would deny that and I saw that in his draft year when he played for the Victoria Grizzlies in the BCHL and later when he played NCAA hockey at Boston College. There was a lot to like about this playmaking center.

Related: Canadiens Sign Alex Newhook to Four-Year Deal

I chalked up his time with the Colorado Avalanche as a guy who contributed but could possibly play a bigger role outside of that stacked roster. He played in the playoffs and got a Stanley Cup ring. Newhook is 23 and now his career has stalled. Sound familiar?

I thought he could be a 40-point guy in the NHL. Last year he had 15 goals and 19 assists. This year, his numbers have cratered and I think it’s smart to keep him on the wing. He can still take some face-offs, he’s running at 43.9% this season. Ultimately the Canadiens need more offense out of him.

Newhook averages 1:55 of power play time and he’s getting 47% of his shots on net. Is it as simple as a slump? Maybe, but he should be able to turn this around at some point.

What are my expectations of Newhook for this season? Get more points on the board. He’s only taking 5% of defensive zone starts according to InStat. With 90% offensive zone starts, Martin St. Louis is putting him in the best position to thrive. He has to get 30 points this season, someway, somehow. If he could get hot and do that, it would be a big boost for the team.