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Canadiens Player Grades: Newhook Clutch Playoff Performance
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- Canadiens Player Grades: Newhook Clutch Playoff Performance
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a very exciting playoff run, with several depth players driving the offensive charge when they needed it most, including Newfoundlander Alex Newhook.
The silky-smooth skater improved his production in the regular season, but like most players in the NHL, there are still several issues that need to be addressed.
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With that in mind, let's take a look at Newhook's results, as well as his player grade for the 2025-26 season.
5v5 Production
From a health standpoint, 2024-25 was a remarkable success. Newhook played all 82 games, not to mention a handful of playoff outings.
And yet, his production definitely left something to be desired.
When discussing a player like Newhook, who is offensively inclined, you need to strike a balance between his production and his underlying numbers. He's far from a defensive ace, which means he'll never have great possession stats, but that doesn't necessarily prevent him from contributing at the other end of the ice.
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Any way you cut it, scoring just 26 points in 82 games is an underwhelming result.
That's why Newhook's production in 2025-26 was a pleasant development. He set a career high in goals per 60, primary assists per 60, and points per 60 at 5v5, to the tune of 13 goals and 12 assists in 42 games.
He did not manage to stay healthy this past season, as he dealt with an unfortunate ankle injury, but he did manage to improve his production by leaps and bounds, an important factor for a team that usually relies on the first line to do the bulk of the scoring.
Underlying Numbers
The Canadiens will probably never be considered an analytical darling team, and neither will Newhook. Simply put, when Newhook is on the ice, the Canadiens are outshot by a rather wide margin.
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And things got a little worse this year.
Other than Oliver Kapanen, no other player held a lower shot share than Newhook at 5v5. Other than Kapanen, no other player held a lower expected goal share than Newhook. Other than …
Well, you get the picture.
He's just not a player who produces solid underlying numbers, but that doesn't automatically mean he's a bad player.
It could a chemistry issue, putting the onus on the Habs to find him the right teammates. After all, when Newhook was on the ice, the Habs actually outscored their opponents, 29-22.
When there's such a discrepancy in the projected results, compared to the actual results, it's worth guarding against throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
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Newhook, much like Kapanen, is a player who produces, but is yet to find the ideal process in which to do so in the NHL.
It's an issue, but for an organization like the Canadiens that has had plenty of players with potential who never managed to find the back of the net with any semblance of consistency, some leniency is required.
Playoff Value
Even though his underlying numbers never really improved in the playoffs, where the Habs were outshot considerably, we must note that Newhook ended up leading the Canadiens in scoring at 5v5 , with nine points.
While the first line suffered through intense coverage, which mitigated most of their high-quality scoring chances, depth players took the lead, with Newhook at the head of the pack.
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He also scored when the Habs needed it most, providing back-to-back series-clinching goals, versus the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres, respectively.
Being able to adapt to your situation is quite important, especially for the youngest team in the league, and none did it better than Newhook.
Newhook Player Grade
If Newhook had sparkling underlying numbers, he'd receive a much better grade, but the fact remains that there's work left to be done from a defensive standpoint.
Or perhaps, as previously mentioned, there's still work to be done when evaluating the roster construction, to find Newhook the ideal linemates.
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Regardless, it's fair to suggest the 25-year-old speedster has shown an intriguing level of potential throughout the year, in an imperfect situation, culminating with an encouraging playoff run.
Alex Newhook Grade : B- (70-72%)
Montreal Canadiens and Alex Newhook statistics via Natural Stat Trick .
Previously published Canadiens player grades:
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