A growing logjam on the Canadiens’ blue line is putting Arber Xhekaj squarely in the middle of trade chatter, and former Montreal scout Grant McCagg thinks he may be the left-shot defenseman who makes the most sense to move.
McCagg’s view is simple: if Montreal has to deal from its surplus, Xhekaj could bring back the strongest return of the team’s left-shot defensemen. That’s what makes him stand out in these discussions. Instead of treating him as a loss, McCagg sees him as a valuable piece with enough physical presence and name value to draw real interest around the NHL.
That kind of profile matters. Defensemen who can play with that edge are not easy to find, and McCagg believes that gives Xhekaj added appeal on the market.
The bigger issue for Kent Hughes is the numbers on the left side. The Canadiens have more left-shot defensemen than they can comfortably fit, and that squeeze is only making the situation harder to manage.
McCagg also believes Montreal’s roster shape gives the front office some room to be picky. In his view, the Canadiens do not have many holes, which changes how they should handle any future deal. As he put it: "When they do make a trade, it should be to specifically fill one of them," he said.
That means Xhekaj should not be moved simply for the sake of making a move. If he goes, the return needs to solve a real problem for Montreal. The team is still looking for a second-line center and a second-pair right-shot defenseman, and McCagg sees Xhekaj as a possible trade chip that could help bring back one of those pieces, especially in a larger package.
So the debate around Xhekaj is not really about whether he has value. It’s about how much value he has, and whether Montreal decides that value is best used to address a need elsewhere.
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