Latest Arber Xhekaj Update Could Spell Trouble For Canadiens

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Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens.

While the Montreal Canadiens have done their due diligence under the leadership of general manager Kent Hughes and signed both Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes to new contracts, one player that is still awaiting their fate for the upcoming season is bruising defenseman Arber Xhekaj.

Xhekaj remains a restricted free agent, and naturally, questions continue to abound regarding his standing with the club and when a new deal might be signed, especially now with Training Camp scheduled to begin in less than three weeks.

According to the latest from NHL Insider Eric Engels of Sportsnet, a contract extension for Xhekaj could take more time.

Per NHL Insider Eric Engels, The Montreal Canadiens Might Not Re-Sign Arber Xhekaj For Some Time

According to Engels in a recent piece for Sportsnet, Xhekaj could intentionally be waiting on signing a contract because he wants to see whether the Canadiens’ crowded defense corps changes first.

“I think part the reason he’s still not quite ready is he knows the Canadiens have a versatile, talented and overcrowded blue line they’ll eventually deal from to address needs at forward and that such a deal could either involve him or create the space for him to have more runway in Montreal,” he wrote.

“If that’s the case, I understand Xhekaj’s position, because in either of those scenarios his value would likely increase (even if the increase could — and probably would — be marginal).

Still, I can’t help but wonder just how long Xhekaj is willing to wait. Because waiting too long could cost him valuable preparation time for the season and that cost could outweigh the benefit of holding out, especially since the type of deal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is trying to swing rarely materializes in the pre-season.”

Engels concluded by saying that he believes Xhekaj wants to remain with the Habs while also noting the possibility of it taking more time for both sides to hammer out an extension.

“I believe his main desire is to keep playing in Montreal, and I believe the Canadiens — who are in one of the nastiest divisions in hockey — want to keep him,” he said. “But we’ll see how much time this takes to get settled.”

He’s coming off a two-year contract that carried a $1.3 million salary cap hit.

The Canadiens Have Yet To Sign Zachary Bolduc

Another player the Canadiens have yet to re-sign is Zachary Bolduc, who is coming off a contract originally signed with the St. Louis Blues that saw him count $863,333 against Montreal’s salary cap.

According to Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki during a recent charity golf tournament, both Bolduc and Xhekaj are important pieces of the team, and he’d like to see them both extended.

“Both are really important players,” Suzuki said via The Montreal Gazette. “Zach had a good year. He took steps throughout the season and into the playoffs. Obviously, Arber is a big and important piece for our locker room and on the ice. So, hopefully, both guys can get it done. There’s still plenty of time, so pretty hopeful.”

Michael Whitaker Michael Whitaker is a sports journalist based in metro Detroit with nearly a full decade of experience with publications like Clutch Points and The Hockey News. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Eastern Michigan University. More about Michael Whitaker