The Montreal Canadiens defense corps has been stepping in the absence of Noah Dobson. We all know what Lane Hutson did on the game-winning goal, ripping one past Tampa Bay Lightning goal Andrei Vasilevskiy 2:09 into overtime. However, despite limited ice time, Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj is showing why he can be a force in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
There have always been high hopes for Xhekaj. He was the perfect defenseman for Montreal when they got to this point in their rebuild. Given how the game changes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Xhekaj’s style fits, especially with his physical play. Earlier in his career and this season, he found himself out of the lineup, given his limited abilities on the ice. Not to mention, he would cross a line physically that would hurt his team.
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It was always going to be a crowded blueline with the Canadiens bringing in Dobson and having drafted Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher. Mailloux is in St. Louis; however, with Mike Matheson extended and Alexandre Carrier brought in last year, Xhekaj became a sixth or seventh defenseman.
He was trying to do more, rather than just play his game to stay in the lineup. However, as Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com and Full Press Media noted on TSN Radio in Montreal, if Arber Xhekaj just plays his game, he is an effective player.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Host: “And talk about Arber Xhekaj here, and he’s got a bit of a cult following here in Montreal, kind of like the wrestling scene a little bit. So I guess there’s my wrestling chiming in for the day, but Jim just focus on Xhekaj specifically, what did you make of his game and how comfortable he looked? Because I was on record saying I thought it was the best he’s ever looked in the Canadiens uniform.”
Jim Biringer: “Yeah. Very composed, played within himself. Didn’t do too much. I think that’s when Arber Xhekaj plays the best hockey, right? When he doesn’t try to do too much and just does what he’s supposed to do, throw his body around, jumped in a couple of times, which is fine, but he didn’t get hurt because the Canadiens had players back to cover for him, and he just threw his weight around, stayed with himself, didn’t take stupid penalties, played a physical game, and I think he understands that through the growth of last year and this year as well, don’t try to do too much.
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That’s when he gets in trouble, and it’s a common theme. I like what Xhekaj did. He had some nice hits, just played perfect hockey on the road, and that’s all you have to do. He doesn’t have to just try to do too much, because that’s what a lot of players do. They try to do more things than they’re supposed to. Just play your own game.
It’s like what we’re seeing with Kaiden Guhle and (Jayden) Struble and all those guys, just play your game, and the team will benefit from it. And I like what I saw from Xhekaj. He just stays composed. And when the hitting and the extracurricular stuff happened. He was right there to defend his teammates, but he didn’t go over the line. And that’s a very intelligent player. Arber Xhekaj is showing the maturity that got him in trouble earlier in the season.”
You are seeing controlled aggression and understanding from Xhekaj when to pinch in and be aggressive and when to stay back and live to fight another day. However, instead of looking for a trade out of Montreal, he worked on his game with the skills coaches, as you can see, his first pass and skating have improved.
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He is reading the game better than before. There comes a point, as head coach Martin St. Louis told the media, when he understood what his role on the team would be.
“Arber knows that when he entered the league, we weren’t deep, and we had five rookies on defence. He was able to get a lot of mileage and experience early on, and you can’t buy that; you have to earn it every game. Now, with all the defensemen we have, he’s realistic but also a competitor, so it’s normal that he wants more. When you handle things with truth, players move forward and bring value,” St. Louis told the media on Saturday as the Canadiens held an optional skate prior to Game 4 on Sunday.
It is about players understanding that if they want to be part of something special, they need to improve and level up to succeed or find themselves on another team. There is a reason why teams wanted to trade for him, and the Montreal Canadiens always said no.
If Arber Xhekaj continues to play his style of game, he will be hard to take out of the lineup.
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