The Montreal Canadiens have trade options on the market, however defenseman Arber Xhekaj shouldn’t be one among them. Not but, anyway.
NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens Not Willing to Part with Arber Xhekaj
As NHLRumors.com documented, Xhekaj continues to be creating as a defenseman. He plays with an edge that sometimes gets him in trouble with the referees. Being bodily tall in nature is nice, however he must develop the remainder of his sport defensively.
Nothing is guaranteed in the NHL, even with a brand new two-year contract that he signed this previous offseason. However that has not stopped the rumor mill from spinning about this potential commerce.
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Groups Are Concerned with Arber Xhekaj
Former Montreal Canadiens enforcer Georges Laraque informed French-Canadian radio that groups are concerned about Xhekaj, and the Canadiens ought to benefit from his good commerce worth.
“There are groups which are concerned about him and, in the event that they had been to get him out of Montreal, can be prepared to play him commonly of their lineup,” Laraque said. “In the event that they don’t play him each sport, what’s the purpose of retaining him? Many groups need him, and he’s bought good commerce worth. Pull the set off.”
Look, there’s a logjam on protection in Montreal. The Canadiens have Xhekaj, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, David Savard, Mike Matheson, Jayden Struble, and Justin Barron, to not point out Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher, the latter of whom is injured, creating within the system.
Once more, as TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger told TSN Radio in Montreal on Friday, there can be curiosity within the younger ahead from groups across the league.
“I’ll inform you this: if Kent Hughes ever determined to place Arber Xhekaj on the commerce block, there can be double-digit groups with curiosity in Arber Xhekaj and never simply the groups which have a transparent want for five, 6, seventh defensemen,” Dreger mentioned.
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Would It Be Clever To Commerce Xhekaj, and What Would the Return Be?
Nonetheless, wouldn’t it be the wisest of choices to commerce a defenseman like Arber Xhekaj and deplete an space of power for the Montreal Canadiens?
Dennis Bernstein of the Fourth Period was on TSN Radio in Montreal on Friday. He doesn’t assume so, regardless that there can be curiosity. As he says, what is going to the return be for a man like this?
“Yeah, he’s younger, he’s reasonably priced, he has dimension, he’s imply, which, there’s not lots of that going round on this league. So I completely agree with it. However what’s it sport 11? We’re speaking about buying and selling guys after you already traded guys within the low season for the offers you bought,” Bernstein mentioned. “You bought to determine, okay, possibly you wish to work out what your high seven is, and I get it, there’s going to be curiosity. However what’s the return going to come back again? What’s it going to be? Mid-round choose for that man? So what’s the purpose?
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I don’t assume the return would profit sending the man out except you completely positively say, okay, he’s not a part of our core. He’s not a part of our seven, and he’s not a part of our future. I don’t know, you bought him on a deal at $1.3 million for this yr and subsequent yr, after which he’s restricted after that, and he’s nonetheless, what, 23 years outdated. I wouldn’t surrender on the man, since you don’t actually have that kind of defenseman, like there. You want a kind of guys.”
You see it firsthand from groups across the league when accidents occur and they don’t have the depth or gamers to fill in when a participant goes down. There’s a cautious story to comply with, as we’re seeing in Los Angeles.
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“So I don’t see giving up on this man, since you’ve made modifications already on this blue line and I might determine you’re going to commerce one other defenseman off this staff,” Bernstein continued. “And I noticed it in Los Angeles. They’d depth on the suitable aspect, after which they traded on the suitable aspect defensemen, and now they actually don’t have any depth when Drew Doughty goes all the way down to an damage, so I’d be actually cautious on that, as a result of he’s nonetheless younger, and I simply query, sure, you would commerce him, however what are you going to get in return? Is it going to essentially higher the group?”
Arber Xhekaj was again within the lineup towards the Pittsburgh Penguins within the Canadiens 3-1 loss. It is going to be about matchups and utilization, however it’s nonetheless too early to surrender on a participant.
Nonetheless, Montreal’s most suitable choice proper now could be to maintain Xhekaj except GM Kent Hughes can’t refuse the return.
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