Canadiens forward Alex Newhook to miss 10-12 weeks with high ankle sprain

Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Newhook will miss 10-12 weeks of action while recovering from a high ankle sprain he sustained in Thursday’s game against the Florida Panthers, the club announced Saturday morning.

Newhook, 22, ranks fourth on this year’s Canadiens team in scoring with 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 23 games. The most charitable reading of his recovery timetable would put him back in action around the middle of February.

During Thursday’s 5–1 Canadiens loss to the Panthers at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Newhook fell and slid feet-first into the side of the Florida net at full speed, with his left leg appearing to twist awkwardly as he collided with the goal.

Johnathan Kovacevic scored the only goal of that game for the Canadiens, who surrendered four goals in the third period en route to their 11th regulation loss of the season. The Canadiens now rank seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 10–11–2 record through 23 games.

Newhook arrived in Montreal over the summer when the Canadiens traded picks No. 31 and 37 in the 2023 NHL Draft, along with defenseman Gianni Fairbrother, to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for his RFA rights. The Canadiens subsequently signed Newhook to a four-year contract worth $2.9 million per season.

The Avalanche originally selected Newhook in the first round (No. 16 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. The St. John’s, Newfoundland product made his NHL debut with the Avs in 2020–21 and won the Stanley Cup with the team the following season, collecting four points in 12 playoff games.

Newhook racked up 30 points in back-to-back seasons with the Avalanche before being traded to the Canadiens. Through 182 games in his NHL career to date, the 5’11” forward has collected 34 goals and 79 points.

The Canadiens will return to action on Saturday night when they play host to the Detroit Red Wings at 7:00 p.m. ET.