Will the Montreal Canadiens look internally or externally for their right-wing solution?
The Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco joined TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked about the options for the Montreal Canadiens on the first line at the right wing position. Di Marco stated that depending on Alex Newhook’s timeline, he could be a more valuable inside trade acquisition than other right-wingers in the market.
NHLRumors.com Transcripts
Host: “I’m looking at fourth-period David Pagnotta here, reporting that things are going well for the Habs. Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, they seem to be fine with the current roster they have, but the immediate need and void they want to fill here is on the right side of that first line, next to Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. What do you think the approach will be there? Like, whoever is available, who would be the best fit for the Habs in that role?
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Anthony Di Marco: “Like something from outside?”
Host: “Of course. I mean, I don’t know what Dave is getting at here, whether it’s an external addition or whether it’s an internal solution that they have, but yeah, externally that would be my question.”
Di Marco: “Like, I think, yeah, getting a real right winger, I imagine I’m not crazy. I can’t remember the exact timeline on Alex Newhook, but I thought he might fit in there when he comes back, and he might be a bit like their internal trade deadline acquisition type.
You look around the NHL and maybe you go to a team like the New York Rangers, you try to pick the bones of a right winger. Look, this is just someone I know is available because of how closely they follow him, but like a Bobby Brink in Philadelphia.
Was that really someone who, like her, thinks the long term could be a first-line product? He’s also an undersized forward like a Cole Caufield and so maybe that wouldn’t be a fit, but honestly that wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me if I’m Kent Hughes who I’m going to try to track down on the trade market.
I think you have a lot of things in place to make that work, and it would also depend a lot on where things stand right now, Alex Newhook.
Host: “I like your thought process on Alex Newhook, and there is hope that he has skated, that he would be back before the end of the season. And then you bring in a guy like you said, Bobby Brink, right? So then the Canadiens will look good, would we give up assets for a Bobby Brink? But if we think Alex Newhook is better than Bobby Brink and he’s already with this group, why would we disrupt anything? That’s the evaluation, think I, of the Habs have right now.”
Di Marco: “Well, that’s exactly it, right? Again, it depends on how high they want to swing. It depends on Alex Newhook’s timetable, and also, do you think he’d be a good fit there? Now I think as a left shot he might be a better fit than a Kirby Dach.”
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Obviously (Juraj) Slafkovsky is a perfect fit on the second line, a guy like Zach Buldoc or Alex Texier might not have the skill level to really make that fit long term. But for me, I would look at Newhook first and foremost, and then look at outside options. But again, you need to know what his timetable is first and foremost.”
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