There’s been plenty of online buzz around Arber Xhekaj and his still-unsigned contract, but another wrinkle has also surfaced: Grant McCagg reported that the Canadiens have asked the big defenseman to try playing forward.
It’s a notable idea, especially because Xhekaj already had a brief look there last season. He was willing to do it when he told the coach he was open to the switch, and the Canadiens needed help up front with Josh Anderson dealing with a virus. At that point, Jayden Struble was paired with Lane Hutson, Xhekaj had already been sitting for six games, and the 6-foot-4, 240-pound blueliner was the next man up.
The trial, though, was tiny. Xhekaj skated in just one game as a forward and logged six shifts for a total of five minutes and 11 seconds.
He made his presence felt with six hits, so it wasn’t a poor outing by any means. It just didn’t reveal much.
That’s not exactly shocking, either, considering the oldest of the Xhekaj brothers hadn’t played up front since his first year in junior.
The bigger question is whether the contract delay has anything to do with Xhekaj thinking about a move to forward next season. That seems unlikely.
Negotiations are handled between the player’s camp and the general manager, while the final call on position and lineup usage belongs to coach Martin St-Louis. It’s hard to picture Hughes promising Xhekaj regular minutes as a forward, because that’s not his role and it would be stepping into the coach’s territory.
If Xhekaj is looking to lock down a full-time NHL job, the clearest path still appears to be on defence, where he’s spent his time and where he’s most comfortable.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Sam Montembeault Decision Worth Watching
With the Canadiens carrying more than enough goaltending depth to at least entertain the idea of a move, Sam Montembeault has quietly become a name worth monitoring. Montreal has spent enough time building up its crease to create options, and that alone makes the veteran netminder a different kind of asset than he might have been a year ago. For a team that is still sorting out its bigger picture, it is the sort of situation that can turn a stable position into a trade chip if the right market opens.
Kent Hughes also does not usually operate in the most obvious lanes when he is looking for value, which matters here because a simple goalie-for-pick deal may not be the path he prefers. If Montreal decides Montembeault belongs in play, the return could hinge on a more creative type of transaction, the kind that comes with a player who needs a reset or a contract another club wants to move. The broader goalie market could end up shaping how far that idea goes, and the Canadiens will be watching closely to see whether the right opening ever appears. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Reopen Practice But Dach Questions Are Only Growing
After a one-day closed-door session, the Canadiens were back in front of the public on the ice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, and the usual practice rhythm returned with it. Fans in attendance got a look at the group as it skated, with Kirby Dach among the players spotted during the open session, a small but notable sight for anyone following the clubs day-to-day health and lineup picture.
The brief shutdown has only added to the curiosity around why the team chose to shut things down in the first place. Montreal has not offered an official explanation for the one-day closed-door practice, leaving the move open to interpretation and keeping attention fixed on the details that matter most to a team that is already being watched closely every time it hits the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have More Urgency To Get Arber Xhekaj Signed
Kaiden Guhles recent absence from practice has given the Canadiens another reason to be uneasy as training camp approaches, especially after he was spotted in a tracksuit and then missed the last two sessions in Brossard. Any uncertainty around a young defenseman who has already become a key part of the blue line tends to ripple quickly through the rest of the roster picture, and in Montreal it has only sharpened the focus on the teams defensive depth.
It also adds a little more urgency to Kent Hughes work with Arber Xhekaj, who remains unsigned even while continuing to train with the club. The Canadiens have been carrying on as if the situation will sort itself out, but if Guhle is slowed early in the season, the need for reliable bodies on defense becomes harder to ignore and makes Xhekajs unresolved contract situation loom a lot larger. [Read more 🡒]