NHL Today: Can Montreal Take the Next Step?

This week, Nashville stocked up on 2028 draft picks by dealing Michael McCarron and Cole Smith; Buffalo celebrated the U.S. gold medal and then — fittingly — Tage Thompson scored the game-winning goal; and Ranger captain J.T. Miller (UBI) has landed on the IR. Other Fantasy hockey tidbits we’re tracking include…

Alex Newhook’s Breakout

Last season, the Montreal Canadiens continued their recent ascension, ultimately making the playoffs for the first time since 2020-21.

Well, they’ve been even better this season, currently holding down the first Wild Card slot in the East while breathing down Detroit’s back for third place in the Atlantic Division. Okay, so the Habs aren’t exactly a top contender to win the Stanley Cup, but coming out of the Olympic break, are still among the 10 most likely teams to hoist the trophy in a couple of months.

One player we’re paying close attention to down the stretch is Alex Newhook. The former 16th overall pick seemed to be finally enjoying a long-awaited breakout early on this season before suffering a broken ankle that required surgery. Newhook returned after the Olympic break, and all he’s done in the three games since is post two goals and two assists, with both tallies (one on the PP) coming on Tuesday, including this snipe.

It’s been over two years since we last recommended him, and that was a great choice as he racked up 16 points over the final 22 games. Are we going to see an even bigger finish this time around?

Newhook has some mad skills as you can see in the video above, but has never been very good at faceoffs, and has gotten even worse the last couple of seasons. While that raises questions about his ability to stay at centre long-term, for now let’s revel in his production, made all the more impressive by a reduction in PT over the last couple of seasons.

Last season, he tied his career high with 15 goals, but mustering just 26 points while playing in all 82 games made for a massive disappointment and certainly didn’t exactly suggest he was ready to record 0.8 points per game this season.

The speedy Newhook is still just 25 and is now seeing power play time that he didn’t receive prior to getting hurt, so there is real upside potential here. He isn’t getting the Fantasy attention he deserves, so has to be considered a sleeper for the final few weeks.

Pittsburgh’s Surprising Turnaround

Another team that’s taken a nice step forward this season – and a surprising one at that – is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Just under a year ago, they were in free fall, but dramatic defensive improvements and a better offense has them in very good shape to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2021-22.

No, they probably aren’t a legitimate Cup contender this season (after all, they are listed at just +2700 to win the Metro Division as per FanDuel), but it’s been a great turnaround for the Pens.

Veteran blueliner Erik Karlsson has been leading the charge of late, scoring one goal with three assists over the last three games. When he first landed in Pittsburgh, we correctly assumed he would be unable to match his massive 2022-23 season in San Jose, and really, he hasn’t come close.

But settling in as a consistent 50-plus point defenseman is nothing to sneeze at. It’s good to see Karlsson ramping up in March as he was fairly quiet over the last couple of months with just eight points over 15 games. And while it looks like he may fall short of double digit goals for the first time in a full season in a while, he’s racking up the helpers – especially on the man advantage.

Even though Karlsson will be 36 at the end of May, the three-time Norris Trophy winner remains a top 20 defenseman for dynasty purposes and his presence as the power play quarterback has been even more vital while Sidney Crosby is out.

Waiver Wire Pick of the Week

Tony DeAngelo, D, New York Islanders (ESPN: 4.8 per cent; CBS: 41 per cent): TDA has been known to do some pretty heinous things from time to time, but with five assists over the last four games, he’s proving useful as a Fantasy asset. He really lit it up in January (11 points in 15 games) before cooling last month; perhaps he’s headed for a big finish. DeAngelo is getting more PIM this season, and while he’s unlikely to ever regain the 50-point form he flashed earlier in his career, he does offer some value, especially given that he’s getting over a minute and a half of PP time per game. The Islanders seem to like what they have, giving him a one-year extension in the summer, but you know he’s ultimately a ticking time bomb who will be on the outs soon enough.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

Born Herbert Jeffrey Hancock, this American jazz great is better known the world simply as Herbie Hancock. In 1965 he released his fifth album, Maiden Voyage, which included “The Eye of the Hurricane,” a track which has become a jazz standard and resurfaced on the 1987 compilation A Sample of Blue Notes.