The Montreal Canadiens have taken great strides in recent seasons, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last two campaigns and even reaching the Eastern Conference Final earlier this spring.
While their ride came to a close in round three against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, general manager Kent Hughes acted swiftly by re-signing forward Ivan Demidov to a long-term extension, along with locking up goaltender Jakub Dobes, who has taken firm control of the starter’s reins, to a multi-year deal.
One player from last year’s squad who remains unsigned, however, is restricted free agent defenseman Arber Xhekaj.
The Agent For Montreal Canadiens RFA Defenseman Arber Xhekaj Sheds Light On His Future
While Xhekaj remains unsigned, his agent Brian Bartlett recently made it clear that his client prefers to play for the Habs and loves being in Montreal.
Arber loves Montreal; he loves playing in Montreal, loves the fans, the city, the atmosphere, the coaching staff, the development staff, Marty, Adam Nicolas, everybody,” Bartlett explained. “He’s become a better hockey player there, and it’s an amazing place to play. Our hope, I think, kind of collectively, Arber’s and ours is that we can find a way to make it work with Montreal here.”
That being said, it doesn’t appear as though there’s any set timeline for when a new contract for Xekaj could be signed thanks to the collection of young talent that the Habs have.
“The flip side of that coin is that Montreal has a lot of very good players, a lot of good players at defense, and it’s trying to work out how that logjam works itself out,” Bartlett continued. “What’s the best way to have the most productive team. I think we’ve all been through this enough that we understand the Montreal Canadiens are going to do what’s best for the Montreal Canadiens and Arber Xhekaj is going to do what’s best for Arber Xhekaj. There’s a very large world where those diagrams overlap, and we’re optimistic we end up in kind of that overlap where it’s good for Montreal and good for Arber, but we’ve still got a lot of time until training camp; there’s no panic.”
Xhekaj took an unconventional route to the NHL, going from the GOJHL’s St. Catharines Falcons to earning a spot with the Kitchener Rangers despite being overlooked in the OHL draft. After two seasons in junior hockey, he caught the attention of the Montreal Canadiens at training camp in 2021 and earned a three-year entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent.
Known for his physicality and old-school toughness, Xhekaj became a fan favorite while helping the Hamilton Bulldogs capture the OHL championship and reach the Memorial Cup final. His standout postseason performance earned him a spot on the Memorial Cup All-Star Team.
Arber Xhekaj Has 230 Games Of NHL Experience
So far in his NHL career, Xhekaj has appeared in 230 games and has registered 10 goals with 23 assists for 33 points.
Additionally, he’s racked up 416 penalty minutes, including 116 last season alone in 65 games played.
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