After acquiring Stanley Cup champion Alex Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche, the Montreal Canadiens have locked up the young forward for the next four years.

“Hearing newly-acquired Alex Newhook will sign a four-year, $2.9M AAV extension with the Montreal Canadiens,” wrote Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on Tuesday.

The contract figures to be an absolute steal for general manager Kent Hughes and the entire Habs organization; Newhook is a promising young forward who will fit in extremely nicely with the team's young core.

Newhook was a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level deal with the Avalanche at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. He was traded from the Avalanche to the Canadiens at the end of June; Montreal sent a first and second-round pick, as well as defenseman Gianni Fairbrother to Denver in the deal.

A former 16th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Avs, Newhook has played two NHL seasons, both with Colorado, including the Stanley Cup winning season in 2022. He recorded four assists in 12 postseason contests as the team defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to win the franchise's first championship since 2001.

The 22-year-old scored 14 goals and added 16 assists in 82 games with the Avalanche in 2022-23 before adding one assist in seven playoff games. In his career, the Newfoundland native has tallied 27 goals and 39 assists in 159 contests with Colorado.

The trade reunites the young centre with his former agent, now GM Kent Hughes, in Montreal.

Alex Newhook figures to carve out a much bigger role on a rebuilding Canadiens team over the next four years than he had with the Avalanche at the beginning of his career.