Few players have enjoyed a more eventful entry to the NHL than Montreal Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj, who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Arber Xhekaj is a popular name on the trade market. And that’s despite the fact that the defenseman has had a less than stellar season and is a regular on the trade block.
In hockey-mad Montreal, fans fall in love fast and hard with their favourites. When Marc Bergevin signed undrafted defenceman Arber Xhekaj to an entry-level contract in October 2021, hardly anyone had heard about the hard-hitting defenceman.
How much is Arber Xhekaj worth? As a player who has spent a little time in Laval and who is not a leading defenseman in the organization, one might think that his value is not extremely high.
For several years now, the Montreal Canadiens haven’t really had very physical players. Georges Laraque and George Parros were the club’s last two strongmen, but since the arrival of Arber Xhekaj, the players feel more protected (and rightly so).
Over the past year, Arber Xhekaj has found himself – in spite of himself – in a number of trade rumors. Some teams called Kent Hughes to inquire about the defenseman’s availability… But the Habs’ GM never wanted to trade him.
The offseason has arrived for three-quarters of the NHL for teams that either missed the playoffs or were eliminated in the first round. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Montreal.
Avoid the urge to look past upcoming negotiations with Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj this offseason. There might be just that tendency on
Another year, another shoulder surgery was performed on Arber Xhekaj, who had this to say in his last media availability of the season. Arber Xhekaj underwent left shoulder surgery on April 10th, and yesterday, before the Montreal Canadiens‘ last game of the season, he fielded questions from the media for the last time this season.
Everyone agrees that Arber Xhekaj’s start to the season was pretty disappointing. He didn’t look anything like the gritty player we met in his first NHL season in 2022-23.
The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward prospect Florian Xhekaj to a three-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Tuesday afternoon. Xhekaj, 19, collected 34 goals and 65 points in 63 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldogs in the 2023-24 regular season.
Another disappointing season has led to one of the NHL’s most storied franchises missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Thanks to a series of bad results, the Montreal Canadiens were officially eliminated from postseason contention last week, marking the third straight season the Habs failed to qualify for the playoffs.
The Montreal Canadiens (29-36-12) are set to face the Philadelphia Flyers (36-31-11) at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET. At this point of the season, fans are well aware of what they should expect on any given night.
One Canadiens player's season has come to an end while another returns.
The Montreal Canadiens announced on Tuesday that defenseman Arber Xhekaj will undergo left shoulder surgery and miss the rest of the regular season. The
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder, the team announced Tuesday. Per the Canadiens, Xhekaj will have surgery on Wednesday and is expected to be ready for the start of next season.
Earlier today, we learned that Arber Xhekaj’s season was well and truly over. We knew he was in bad shape, but not that he was going to have shoulder surgery.
Arber Xhekaj has a reputation as a guy who can fight. He’s one of the NHL’s good battlers because he’s strong and has good technique(thanks to Georges Laraque)… And everyone will agree that he’s not afraid to throw down the gloves and take on the NHL’s best big men.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj has been the subject of trade rumors since he was sent down to the AHL. One team that could be interested? None other than the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Montreal Canadiens have unequivocally shut down trade talks involving defenseman Arber Xhekaj, as confirmed by NHL insider Elliotte Friedman. Despite being loaned to AHL Laval over a month ago, the Canadiens are standing firm, denying any inquiries about the blue liner.
When the Montreal Canadiens assigned defenceman Arber Xhekaj to the Laval Rocket, the goal was putting him in a situation that would lead to big minutes, giving him crucial experience that would hopefully improve his defensive game.
Since returning from injury, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj has been playing his regular brand of steadfast hockey in the American Hockey League.
The Montreal Canadiens removed Arber Xhekaj from the injured reserve list, then immediately assigned him to the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL). There have been discussions about the 22-year-old defenceman, his game, his future and how he has seemingly been passed over on the depth chart by Jayden Struble.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj, who has been recovering from an upper-body injury that kept him out for seven games, was activated off injured reserve.
The Montreal Canadiens announced Friday that defenseman Arber Xhekaj will be out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj suffered an upper-body injury in Thursday's thrilling loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
One of the bright spots for the Montreal Canadiens and their fans this season has been the emergence of Arber Xhekaj.
Xhekaj went from relative obscurity to a solid NHL prospect in such a short time.
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