Kent Hughes sets steep asking price for Arber Xhekaj amid growing trade interest

Basically, the Canadiens would ideally like to keep Xhekaj, even though contract extension talks haven’t gone as well as hoped.

For a trade to happen, another GM would need to make a very convincing offer to Kent Hughes, according to David Pagnotta.

Pagnotta provided an update on the Xhekaj situation during the DFO Rundown.

His message regarding the Canadiens’ position was clear.

The club has no desire to move Xhekaj despite the interest shown by several teams.

Montreal isn’t looking to move Xhekaj. Instead, interested teams will need to step up their efforts to acquire him.

Until then, there will likely be more trade discussions involving Arber Xhekaj in Montreal. And that will remain the case until he signs a new contract.

The Canadiens set a high price for Arber Xhekaj

That position works in the Canadiens’ favour.

A seller who doesn’t want to sell can demand a major return or simply say no.

Interested teams will need to come forward with a strong offer.

A modest proposal clearly won’t be enough to move Xhekaj.

His physical presence remains an asset that the Canadiens appear to fully appreciate internally, even though Martin St. Louis has been fairly inconsistent with his usage.

This should cool down the many departure scenarios that circulated throughout the summer.

The Flames, Flyers and other interested teams will need to adjust their expectations accordingly.

Convincing the Canadiens won’t be easy.

It would take a generous offer for Kent Hughes to agree to trade Arber Xhekaj.