The Montreal Canadiens have had an extremely busy week preparing for the 2026-27 NHL season. Veteran free agent Chris Kreider signed a one-year deal last Saturday, while forwards Zachary Bolduc and Alex Newhook signed four-year extensions, defenseman Arber Xhekaj re-upped for one year, and head coach Martin St. Louis got a multi-year extension of his own.

With those moves complete, the Habs look prepared to build on a terrific 2025-26 campaign that saw them advance to the Eastern Conference Final before bowing out to the eventual champion Carolina Hurricanes.

Newhook, who signed a four-year, $22.2 million extension Tuesday, shared an eloquent answer when asked why he wanted to remain in Montreal.

“There’s always a risk in waiting it out, one of them being not staying here, and not having a deal. I think it makes it a little more likely you’re not here the next year,” Newhook told reporters at the Canadiens' practice facility Friday, per The Athletic's Arpon Basu.

“I think that was something I didn’t really want to risk. I like being here. I love the city, I love the team. I think with the opportunity we have here, to move on and miss something that can be pretty special here would be pretty brutal.”

Newhook signed what many view as a team-friendly deal in a rising salary-cap environment after scoring 13 goals and 25 points in just 42 regular-season games.

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He was even better during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, amassing 10 points in 19 contests and scoring multiple critical goals. That included the overtime winner against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 of Round 2, which sent Montreal to the Eastern Conference Final.

The St. John's, Newfoundland native would have been eligible for salary arbitration at the end of the upcoming season and just one year away from unrestricted free agency. As Basu noted, that represents “a prime leverage position for a player coming off a career season.”

Instead, the 25-year-old is locked up through the 2030-31 campaign and can now focus on helping the Canadiens chase their first Stanley Cup championship since 1993.

Montreal begins its 2026-27 season against the archrival Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept. 29.