Montreal Canadiens recall Florian Xhekaj
Credit: Laurent Corbeil/l’Arena du Rocket Inc.
The Montreal Canadiens made a personnel swap on Friday evening, recalling Florian Xhekaj from the Laval Rocket.
Note: An earlier version of this article said that Joshua Roy was sent down, but the Canadiens have clarified he remains with the NHL team.
This is Xhekaj’s first recall into the NHL. He didn’t have the offensive start many expected of him with two goals and two assists in 16 games so far this season. However, he can contribute a lot more than just offensively, and the team will likely like to see him bring the relentlessness and compete level that he has brought consistently, similar to what Jared Davidson has brought.
Xhekaj had a great rookie AHL season, scoring 24 goals and adding 11 assists in 69 regular season games last season. The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick (101st overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft. It is likely he will make his NHL debut on Saturday when the team hosts the Toronto Maple Leafs.
