The Canadiens appear close to locking up Arber Xhekaj, with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reporting that a contract extension is nearing for the 25-year-old defenseman.
LeBrun says the two sides are making progress and expect to reach an agreement before NHL training camp. Jeff Gorton also told reporters he is confident Xhekaj will be on hand when Montreal hits the ice.
The possibility of an extension comes after Xhekaj’s name surfaced in offseason trade speculation. Earlier reports had Montreal considering its options on moving him, even though he played 65 games last season.
Re-signing him would add another left-shot defenseman to a group already carrying significant money on that side of the blue line, with about $21 million of the club’s $35 million in cap spending going to lefties. Lane Hutson’s $8.5 million AAV extension is set to kick in, while Noah Dobson and Alexandre Carrier are the only right-shot defenders in the mix.
Zachary Bolduc was another restricted free agent mentioned in those rumors, but Montreal moved quickly there too, handing the young forward a four-year deal not long ago. The later addition of Chris Kreider on a one-year, $2.15 million contract leaves the Canadiens with roughly $4.3 million in cap space to work with on Xhekaj.
The fit makes sense on the ice. Xhekaj is the kind of player Montreal wants in its lineup: big, physical, and built to throw hits.
The catch is that the Canadiens never leaned on him for heavy minutes. He averaged just 11:25 per game, the lowest mark among Montreal defensemen last season, and that number dipped to 8:05 during the playoff run.
As David Pagnotta had previously reported, the Canadiens value Xhekaj. That lines up with a team that has climbed back to an Eastern Conference Finals run after missing the playoffs three straight times in the post-COVID NHL era and losing a first-round series to Washington in 2025.
The league’s CBA changes on September 16 are getting closer, but this situation doesn’t appear likely to be heavily affected. Under the new rules, players will be limited to seven-year deals with their own team, and signing bonuses will be capped at 60% of the contract’s total value. AFP Analytics projects Xhekaj’s next deal as a one-year extension worth $1.4 million.
Montreal is coming off a 48-win, 106-point season that ended with an Eastern Conference Finals berth in 2025-26. Xhekaj was part of one of the NHL’s youngest and least experienced groups, with the Habs carrying an average roster age of 25.82 and a combined 9,320 NHL games played.
In Other News...
Canadiens Rookies Left Habs Fans With One Early Depth Concern
The Canadiens rookie group got its first real test in the prospects challenge against Winnipeg, and the result offered an early glimpse at a possible depth issue. Montreal was outplayed in a 3-1 loss, with Alexander Legkov providing the lone goal for the Canadiens while the Jets young talent carried much of the push in a game that served as an important measuring stick for the organizations prospects.
For a team hoping to sort out which young players can handle bigger roles, the outing was useful even if the scoreboard was not kind. Montreal will get another chance to reset quickly when it faces Ottawa next in the prospects challenge, but the opening game already left fans watching closely for how the club handles the details in its own end and whether its young lineup can generate more consistent offense. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Fans Just Got A Wild New Look At Hughes Deadline Push
Newly released footage from Season 3 of The Rebuild gives Canadiens fans another look at how aggressive Kent Hughes was prepared to be at the 2026 deadline. The clip shows Montreals executive putting together a major trade framework built around two first-round picks, a sign of just how seriously the organization was chasing help as the deadline pressure mounted.
The scene also adds a frustrating twist to the story, because the move never made it across the finish line. The offer was submitted after the NHLs clock had already expired, turning what looked like a significant deadline push into a failed attempt, with the player Montreal had targeted still officially unconfirmed. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Still Have One Arber Xhekaj Question Hanging Over Camp
Arber Xhekaj remains the last notable contract item hanging over Canadiens camp, even as the sides continue to move toward an agreement. The restricted free agent defenseman had been the lone Montreal player left without a deal after Zachary Bolduc signed, and the expectation around the organization is that Xhekaj will be taken care of in time to join the group when training camp opens.
What has made these talks worth watching is less about a simple salary number and more about how much ice time Xhekaj is set to have going forward. Montreal has a clear interest in getting him locked in, but until the paperwork is done, the question around his role lingers as one of the quieter storylines at camp. [Read more 🡒]