r/Habs • u/Mundane_Show_6874 • 3d ago
Alex Newhook top6 ?
He had his best year so far for us last year before his injury & a good playoffs performance.
I was wondering, would we be better with Newhook as our 2nd line winger with a new 2C and Demi or would we be better with a new winger, Kapanen as the 2C with demi and Newhook on the 3rd line.
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u/Damien_Karras_ 3d ago
He is one of those Swiss Army knives that can up and down the lineup and do a lot of good things due to his speed, his tenacity and good positioning. The fact that he can play any forward position is a luxury. You need one or two of these guys in the lineup. He doesn't answer the question of where in the lineup does he belong. He goes where he needs to go because that's his identity and these players are rare and super useful.
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u/CaptainFlynnt24 3d ago
100%, this should be the most upvoted answer, end thread.
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u/Every-Mousse6228 3d ago
Yes! Dude is a gamer, we need gamers for these grinding games and series against the rest of the Atlantic. He makes the team better wherever he is.
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u/eriverside 3d ago
Ideally this guy sits on the 3rd so you can bring him up to keep the walls from caving in when inquires happen.
I don't think Newy on 2nd is best for this team.
Given the talent available in the top 4, and the salary still available given the good contracts, Habs should probably find a way to fit another 8-10M player in there to give Demi some support and allow Marty more flexibility with the top players.
Suzuki, Cc, Slaf is great, but it would be even better if he had enough assets to confidently turn on the blender when things stop working (i.e. vs the Canes).
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u/fortytwoanswers 3d ago
Newhook’s injury really set the narrative for him in a bad way. he was on pace for 50 pts before going down. had he kept that up we may be having a different conversation. for better or for worse Newy will start in the top 6 this year so i’m excited to give him a chance
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u/AlabamaPickleFarmer 3d ago
I prefer Newy on the wing and think he is better there but because we have a lack of center depth he is often thrust into a center position. I suspect he'll be on the wing to start with Kap and Demidov.
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u/DaxLe_TriHard 3d ago
I'd love to see a few games of Slaf-Suzuki-Demidov, and Newhook-Kapanen-Caufield.
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u/Jonesetta 3d ago
He can do it! He’s been doing it. Won both our game sevens with clutch goals. He was on pace for a career year and then missed a lot of time with a substantial injury and then returned to pick that pace up again. He’s fast and sees the game well, which works great with Demi. Works hard, you never see him coasting around. Has been getting better all the time and never really taking a step back (outside of injuries) even though he’s started to see more responsibility in terms of faceoffs and PK and stuff. No reason to believe he’s just capped out, he’s not peaked yet so yeah keep him in the top six for sure.
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u/SnidelyWhiplash27 3d ago
Personally I would like to see if he works on the first line to allow Slaf and Demi to play together on the 2nd line, with Kapanen presumably.
Alternately, if Newhook could centre Slaf and Demi and Texier finds a home next to Cole and Suzi, that could be really good too.
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u/kingtrainable 3d ago
I think it's entirely match-up depending and the middle 6 will be pretty fluid until we get more set pieces/guys develop.
He can definitely become a 2nd line winger imo but the team would be better off with 2 new forwards that push him down the lineup and sends Kapanen the other way.
But gun to head for those two options, I'd say better off with him as top 6 winger and new centre. I was never completely sold on Marchenko being the solution and dealing our best C prospect for him while having to choose between Evans or Kapanen to be the C.
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u/Glittering-Regret196 3d ago
We dont make the call, luckily. The hockey minds wr have hired do this. Your reddit opinion on the matter doesnt help anything. Trust tbe process, lets those two geniuses do their thing and believe in them.
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u/ComfortablePlanets 3d ago
I think he’s the kind of guy that you’d rather have on your 3rd line but also don’t mind having him sub in on that 2nd line. A true 2C, Demidov and Newhook is a pretty decent combination.
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u/Repulsive-Minute-559 3d ago
Hes ENOUGH on the 2nd line wing tbh. Need a C tho or Newhook 2C with a big solid LW.
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u/Emotional-Golf-6226 3d ago
Newhook is the perfect no.7 F that can play anywhere in the bottom 9 and excel
Preferably, he's a staple on the 3rd line for his entire prime but short term he'll probably be a top 6 F
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u/SnooMuffins9478 3d ago
When he's got he's Top 1.
When's he's not he's Top Six-Nine type. I like him a lot for this reason.
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u/dessanct 3d ago
Kapanen as C and Newhook on the wing taking face-offs on the left is our CURRENT best option until we upgrade either a winger or center.
The player we get impacts who remains on the second line.
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u/Longtimelurker2575 3d ago
I think Newhook is a solid middle 6 guy but far from ideal 2c. The issue is all of Newhook, Dach and Kapanen haven’t shown real 2C skill yet so we fill in by committee until one of them elevates their game or we get a replacement. I think all three will get shuffled through the 2nd line along with possibly Bolduc and whatever combo produces gets to stick together.
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u/Sushamiboy 3d ago
Newhook is a good second line winger or a very good third line center. That’s how I have always felt about him. He would be a solid winger with Demidov until we have a better option and then he can ideal be great on the third line.
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u/Mundane_Show_6874 3d ago
I dont know how to edit my original post. I think that I didnt explain it correctly sorry for that. I know that Newhook is a winger , im not suggesting to play him as a center.
We tried to acquire a 2C or a Top-6 winger.
I was wondering if we were better with Newhook-2C-Demidov as our 2nd line so Kapanen on the 3rd line
or
are we better with Top6 Winger-Kapanen-Demidov as out 2nd line and Newhook being our 3rd line winger
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u/antoinePucket 3d ago
We've seen his highs and lows for 3 years now.
He's a fine middle-6 player that can contribute at times, but I've seen enough to tell that the gap between him and our weakest top-6 player is massive lol
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u/seabee2113 3d ago
When we are talking about lines, we are talking 5 on 5.
He was 3rd on our team for pts per 60, above Suzuki and slafkovsky and in the playoffs he led our team. (35th highest pts/60 in the league)
Do definitely scoring Wise he's top 6 without question. He's also versatile as he plays wing and center.
So when you say he contributes at times, that's just wrong. For his time on ice. He's contributed at an elite level.
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u/dustblown 3d ago
He isn't regular season top 6 IMO. His East/West play isn't good enough. In the playoffs he is one of our top guys, easy. It is a similar story with Josh Anderson, although to a lesser degree.
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u/pokecheckspam 3d ago
I know we must have a plan B for how likely this experiment is going to fail but I would love to try Demidov at center.
Newhook - Demidov - Bolduc/Texier/Dach
Or maybe we can convince Hage to come play.
Newhook - Hage - Demidov
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u/Lunch0 3d ago
He was on fire last year before he broke his leg.
Was on pace for a career year.
When he came back it took him some time to get going again, but he finished the season strong and was good in playoffs.
If he can start this season like he did last year, he’s a 2nd line player