Canadiens acquire Newhook from Avalanche in exchange for draft picks, Fairbrother

The Montreal Canadiens have traded for Colorado Avalanche forward Alex Newhook.

Colorado got the 31st and 37th picks in this week's draft and defenceman Gianni Fairbrother from Montreal. The move clears potential salary cap space to try to keep pending free agent centre J.T. Compher, after the Avalanche acquired Ryan Johansen from Nashville over the weekend.

"For us, Newhook brings versatility, speed, and the experience of already winning a Stanley Cup," said Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes.

Hughes says the centre, who battled for ice time on the star-laden Avalanche, will have a chance to develop into an impact player on a young Canadiens team.

"It takes time for players [to develop] and it is harder to do that when you come to an experienced team," Hughes said.

"We have the luxury as we go through this process that players can make mistakes ... it's just a different environment with the state that we're in versus Colorado at this point."

St. Louis expects Newhook to take on a bigger role in Montreal.

"He might have played 12 or 13 minutes per game in Colorado," he said. "I believe we're going to ask more of him here. He already has experience with good qualities. We're bringing him into an environment that suits him better."

Newhook is expected as a restricted free agent to get a raise from the US$925,000 he made last season. The Boston College product had four points in 12 games on Colorado's 2022 Stanley Cup run.

Hughes also admitted that the fact that he has personal history with Newhook — he was his agent when Colorado called Newhook's name at the 2019 draft — played a role in completing the transaction.

"When you know someone personally, it certainly helps to know how they'll fit into the locker room. We're very confident he's going to be a good addition to the locker room; he has already played with Kirby [Dach] and [Justin] Barron on Team Canada [at the 2021 world junior championship]," Hughes said.

Fairbrother was the 77th overall pick by Montreal in the 2019 draft and has spent the last two season with the Laval Rockets.

He had eight points in 28 games for the AHL team but suffered a season-ending injury in a game against the Belleville Senators on Oct. 9, 2022.

Fairbrother is under contract through next season at an NHL salary of $860,000 and $80,000 in the American Hockey League.

Devils add veteran Toffoli

The up-and-coming New Jersey Devils have acquired veteran forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames for forward Yegor Sharangovich and a draft pick they recently acquired in a deal with Columbus.

General manager Tom Fitzgerald announced the trade Tuesday evening, a day before the NHL entry draft in Nashville, Tenn.

Toffoli is entering the final year of a four-year deal he signed with Montreal. He carries a $4.5 million cap hit. Sharangovich was set to become a restricted free agent.

Toffoli is coming off a career year, with 34 goals, 39 assists and 73 points, with points and goals being his best. His 10 power-play goals were a career best. The 31-year-old has 227 goals and 239 assists in 733 regular-season contests with Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary.

He helped Los Angeles win its second Stanley Cup championship in 2014. He also appeared in a Cup final with Montreal in 2020-21.

Sharangovich was New Jersey's fifth-round selection in 2018. In three seasons from 2020-21 to 2022-23, he appeared in 205 games scoring 53 goals and 53 assists.

Dadonov signs 2-year deal with Stars

The Dallas Stars signed forward Evgenii Dadonov to a $4.5 million, two-year contract on Tuesday.

Dadonov appeared in 23 regular-season games and 16 playoff games for the Stars after being acquired from Montreal in a trade on Feb. 26. He could have become an unrestricted free agent.

The 34-year-old Dadonov had 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists) in 73 games overall for Montreal and Dallas during the regular season. He had 10 points in the playoffs, when the Stars made it to the Western Conference final.

Dadonov has 298 points (131 goals) in 486 regular-season contests over nine NHL seasons with Dallas, Montreal, Vegas, Ottawa and Florida. The Russian native was originally selected by Florida in the third round (71st overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft.

Flyers deal Hayes to Blues

The St. Louis Blues have acquired centre Kevin Hayes from the Philadelphia Flyers for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft.

The teams announced the trade Tuesday, the day before the first round of the draft. The Flyers are retaining half of Hayes's $7.14 million US salary cap hit for the next three years.

Hayes gives the retooling Blues depth down the middle as they try to return to the playoffs next season. The 31-year-old is a veteran of nearly 700 NHL regular-season games and brings more winning experience to a team that is four seasons removed from winning the Stanley Cup.

Hayes signed a seven-year contract worth $50 million with the Flyers in 2019 and became an instant fan favourite over his four seasons. He scored 23 goals in his first season with the Flyers and was an all-star this past season, when he fell one shy of his career high with 54 points.

Sharks pick up goalie Blackwood

The San Jose Sharks acquired goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a sixth-round pick in this week's draft.

Injuries have plagued Blackwood throughout his career, resulting in less playing time for him and more opportunities for others.

Vitek Vanecek, 27, made the most of the opportunity with New Jersey during the regular season in 2022-23, posting a 33-11-4 record with three shutouts, a 2.45 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.

Akira Schmid, 23, received the majority of work for the Devils in the post-season, however.

Blackwood, 26, went 10-6-2 with a 3.20 GAA and .893 save percentage in 22 games (20 starts) last season.

He is expected to battle Kaapo Kahkonen and possibly Eetu Makiniemi for playing time in San Jose.

Getzlaf joins Ducks front office

Former captain Ryan Getzlaf is now the player development coordinator for the Anaheim Ducks.

Getzlaf served as Anaheim's captain for 12 seasons (2010-22). He is also the all-time leading scorer in franchise history with 1,019 points, including 737 assists, and played in a team-record 1,157 regular-season contests.

In his new role, Getzlaf will assist director of player development Jim Johnson in preparing prospects in Anaheim's system for a career in professional hockey

Getzlaf played 17 seasons for the Ducks after being the 19th overall pick in 2003.

"I am so excited to be back in a role where I feel I can help our young players, who are the focal point of both the future and present of our hockey club," Getzlaf said in a statement. "This opportunity will give me the chance to help them in the critical years of their development and share the many years of experiences that I have had."