The Arber Xhekaj situation in Montreal is still hanging in the air, and the latest read on it isn’t exactly encouraging for the Canadiens defenseman.
What appears to be driving the uncertainty is simple enough: Xhekaj may not fit cleanly into Martin St-Louis’ system. That idea has been floating around quietly for a while, but Stu Cowan said it plainly: “The defenseman has never earned Martin St-Louis' full trust.”
The usage tells the story. Even though Xhekaj played more games than Jayden Struble, he logged far less ice time.
During the regular season, Xhekaj averaged 2 minutes and 36 seconds less per game than Struble. The split got even more severe in the playoffs, where Struble averaged roughly 11:40 per game and Xhekaj was down at 8:06 a night.
In practical terms, Xhekaj is often playing about five minutes less than the next least-used defenseman on the roster. That kind of gap doesn’t happen by accident, and it makes the trust issue impossible to ignore.
It also helps explain why his contract situation remains unresolved and why his name keeps popping up in trade rumors. St-Louis clearly has his reasons.
Maybe he sees too many bad penalties. Maybe he thinks Xhekaj is still slower defensively than Struble.
Maybe it’s both.
But there’s another layer here. When Xhekaj isn’t allowed to play the kind of heavy, physical game that gives him value, because he’s trying not to make a mistake, he loses the very edge that makes him so useful in the first place.
And right now, the silence around all of it says plenty.
In Other News...
Canadiens Still Have One Roster Question Around Xhekaj And Bolduc
Geoff Molson sounded upbeat in a recent interview about where the Canadiens stand after last season, saying he was satisfied with the teams performance and encouraged by the way the roster is developing. He also made clear that Arber Xhekaj and Zach Bolduc remain important pieces in the organizations plans, a notable point with training camp approaching and Montreal still sorting through the edges of its depth chart.
The bigger question is how both players fit once the dust settles. Xhekajs usage has not fully settled into a defined role, and Bolduc remains unsigned after finishing the playoffs on the fourth line, leaving Montreal with one of those familiar late-summer roster puzzles that can shape how a team starts the year. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Roster Puzzle Puts Some Young Pieces In Play
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What makes the conversation more interesting is the kind of young talent that could be pulled into the discussion if the Canadiens decide to press ahead. Montreal has prospects it would prefer not to move lightly, but it also has to weigh the value of future flexibility against the appeal of helping the current roster now. For the moment, it is still speculation and planning more than action, but the kind of move the Canadiens are considering could reshape more than one part of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Go Only As Far As Ivan Demidov Takes Them
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Ivan Demidov is at the center of that bet after a rookie season that put him firmly on the leagues radar and left him second in Calder Trophy voting. He showed plenty of upside, but he also cooled late, and Montreals outlook now hinges on whether he can turn that promise into steadier second-year production. For a team that did not do much to change its ceiling, his next step may end up setting the tone. [Read more 🡒]