A few hours before the 2023 NHL Draft, Kent Hughes completed the long-awaited Kirby Dach transaction we'd been talking about for months. However, fan opinion is divided, with Newhook costing less to acquire than Dach, and earning a smaller salary. We might even add that, on paper, Newhook is the better player of the two after some 150 games. <q> Alex Newhook comes to the Canadiens with 27 goals and 66 points in 159 games. He also had a Stanley Cup. Kirby Dach joined the Habs (last year) with 19 goals, 59 points in 152 games. Newhook has 0.41 points per game in his career. Dach was at 0.39 points per game for his career. Newhook signs for four years, $2.9 M AAV Dach signed four years, $3.36M AAV.</q> Eric Engels drew this interesting parallel, while some fans are worried. Newhook is a solid player who will have a golden opportunity to express himself on the ice, a bit like Kirby Dach last year. We're not saying that Kirby Dach isn't as good as the newcomer, but that a similar progression is to be expected in Newhook's case. In both cases, these are excellent transactions by Kent Hughes.