The Canadiens may be hearing the noise around Arber Xhekaj, but the message coming out of Montreal is pretty simple: they’d rather keep him.
According to David Pagnotta, the team is not eager to move Xhekaj even with multiple clubs showing interest. Speaking on the DFO Rundown, Pagnotta said Montreal’s stance puts the burden squarely on any team hoping to land the defenseman.
"They wanna keep the player; you've gotta kind of convince them to make that [trade] happen," Pagnotta explained.
That’s the key here. The Canadiens are not shopping Xhekaj, and they’re not looking to part with him just because the trade chatter is picking up. If another general manager wants to pry him loose from Kent Hughes, it’s going to take a real pitch - not a lowball offer.
Contract extension talks have not gone as well as hoped, which is part of why the speculation keeps hanging around. But for now, Montreal’s position hasn’t changed: there’s no desire to move him, and interested teams will have to push harder if they want to get something done.
That stance gives Hughes plenty of leverage. A team that doesn’t want to sell can ask for a major return or shut the door entirely, and that’s exactly the kind of setup the Canadiens seem to have here. A modest offer won’t be enough.
Xhekaj’s physical game remains an asset in the organization’s eyes, even if Martin St. Louis has been inconsistent in how he’s used him. Internally, the Canadiens clearly value what he brings.
So for now, the trade talks figure to keep circling around Montreal. And unless Xhekaj signs a new deal, that conversation isn’t going away anytime soon.
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