The Canadiens made an eye-catching call at the end of training camp by keeping Florian Xhekaj in Montreal, and the move still feels like it’s waiting to pay off.
Xhekaj turned enough heads in preseason to stick, using his size, physical play and energy to earn a roster spot. But through Montreal’s first two games, the 22-year-old has been parked in the press box as a healthy scratch. That leaves the obvious next question: when does he actually get into a game?
It’s hard to imagine the Canadiens carrying him this far just to leave him idle. At some point, Martin St. Louis is going to have to carve out a lane for him.
So far, Montreal has had little reason to shuffle its forward group. The club opened the year with a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, then dropped an overtime decision to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Early in the season, that’s usually enough stability to keep a coach from making changes just for the sake of it.
Still, Xhekaj brings something different to the lineup. At 6-foot-3, he plays a heavy game, leans into the physical side and showed in camp that he can do more than just throw his weight around. His preseason work was strong enough to beat out plenty of competition for a spot.
The next few days could finally open the door.
Montreal has three games this week, beginning Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, followed by Thursday’s meeting with the Nashville Predators and Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. The Hurricanes matchup may not be the cleanest place to make a change, but Thursday stands out as the more realistic chance. Nashville is not the toughest opponent, and that could give the Canadiens a chance to inject some extra size and energy into their bottom six.
If not then, Saturday against Detroit is another plausible opening. By that point, Montreal would have gone four games without using Xhekaj, and that starts to get harder to explain. If the Canadiens believe he is better off developing in Montreal than playing meaningful minutes for the Laval Rocket, they need to actually put him on the ice.
That doesn’t mean he has to become a fixture overnight. Montreal has enough depth up front to keep rotating players in and out. But getting him into one of these games would be the logical first step.
Of course, someone has to come out if Xhekaj goes in. Alexandre Texier looks like one of the likeliest names to be squeezed out if St.
Louis makes a move. The Canadiens’ bottom six has real competition, and Texier is one of the players who could move in and out depending on performance and matchups.
There’s also the Oliver Kapanen factor. He has not played yet this season because of an injury, and once he’s healthy, he would likely be ahead of Xhekaj in the pecking order. That only tightens the window for Xhekaj to get his first chance.
Which is why Montreal should probably act sooner rather than later. If Kapanen is still unavailable Thursday or Saturday, the Canadiens have a clean opportunity to see what Xhekaj can offer before the lineup gets even more crowded.
He earned his roster spot in camp. Now he needs the chance to show he can hold it.
The Canadiens didn’t keep Florian Xhekaj in Montreal just to have him watch 84 games from the stands. His role may be limited, and Laval could still be in the picture down the road, but Montreal needs to find out exactly what it has.
In Other News...
Canadiens Fans May Hate What A Zibanejad Push Could Cost
The Canadiens search for a long-term answer down the middle is already one of the louder background stories around the organization, and Shayne Gaumond recently pushed it into even sharper focus by floating Mika Zibanejad as a possible No. 2 center by the time the playoffs arrive. The appeal is easy to understand from Montreals side: Zibanejad would instantly change the shape of the forward group, and his ties to president Jeff Gorton and Rangers winger Chris Kreider give the idea a familiar human thread beyond the usual trade-board speculation.
Still, this is the kind of move that only starts to make sense if Montreal proves it belongs in the contender conversation first. A player of Zibanejads stature would not be a casual add, and the Canadiens would have to show real traction before a deal of that magnitude could ever come into view. For now, the story is less about a finished path to Montreal than about how much the organization may need to gain, and risk, if it wants to chase one of the leagues bigger-name fixes at center. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Prospect Michael Hage Is Making One Decision Look Very Smart
Michael Hages decision to return to the University of Michigan instead of signing his entry-level contract with Montreal already looks like a savvy one. After an ankle injury late last season left him limited during the NCAA playoffs, the Canadiens prospect came back for his junior year with something to prove, and he has wasted little time showing why patience was the right call.
Hage has opened the season in strong fashion, giving Michigan a major boost in the first two games and quickly reestablishing himself as one of the teams key players. For Montreal, it is the kind of early return on investment that matters even before he ever puts on a Canadiens sweater, with his development now trending in exactly the direction the organization wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Got An Unexpected Shot At Center Depth
An unexpected center option has suddenly reached the market, and it could be the kind of opportunity front offices monitor closely. Calgary placed Connor Zary on waivers, opening the door for any NHL team looking to add depth without giving up assets, and that naturally puts Montreal in the mix as clubs weigh whether a young pivot can help stabilize the middle of the lineup.
Zarys profile is what makes the situation interesting. The 25-year-old former first-round pick has already shown he can produce at the NHL level over 192 games, which gives him a track record that goes beyond a flyer or a pure depth gamble. For the Canadiens, a claim would come down to whether they see him as a useful fit right away, because once a player with that rsum is available, the chance does not tend to linger for long. [Read more 🡒]