Colorado Avalanche trade Alex Newhook to Montreal Canadiens for late-first and early-second round picks

The Colorado Avalanche traded young forward Alex Newhook to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday for a late first- and an early second-round pick, plus a minor-leaguer.

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

Newhook, 22, is expected as a restricted free agent to get a raise from the $925,000 he made last season. The Boston College product had four points in 12 games on Colorado's 2022 Stanley Cup run.

He played all 82 games this past regular season and finished with 30 points. Newhook has 73 points in 186 regular-season and playoff games in the NHL.

Fairbrother, who turns 23 before the season starts, is coming off missing all of 2022-23 with a knee injury. A third-round pick in 2019, he's under contract through next season at an NHL salary of $860,000 and $80,000 in the American Hockey League.