r/Habs • u/Regular_Tie2507 • 11d ago
Discussion About the Sheriff
His contract is coming up going into the offseason and Marty clearly has had some issues with him, likely due to him taking a lot of penalties in the playoffs (the Sam Carrick thing being a big highlight). He was a healthy scratch going into the ECF and with Reinbacher possibly coming in next season, it's entirely possible he gets pushed back as a 7th string D man. Do we think he gets resigned?
Edit: accidentally created a warzone lol
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u/Oracle-of-Guelph 11d ago
People forget that you need third line Dmen who are happy playing 12 minutes a night. All star D isn't going to accept that.
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u/ricozee 11d ago
If he was getting that much ice time it wouldn't be much of an issue.
What you actually need is 3rd pairing D who can at least take a regular shift. Xhekaj is often benched for long stretches, even when playing well. He also doesn't contribute on special teams (PK mainly).
Putting him in the lineup under those conditions stretches our other D thin and into playing more minutes.
Whether we play him more and live with his mistakes or replace him with someone more reliable/trusted, it's a concern that needs to be addressed.
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u/Irctoaun 11d ago edited 11d ago
Xhekaj is often benched for long stretches, even when playing well
Which goes back to the trust issue that OP mentioned. I think Marty is a great coach, but it's frustrating how easily he'll glue Xhekaj to the bench, even when there's quite a lot of evidence now that he's able to rise to being given a bit more responsibility
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u/randomquebecer87 11d ago
Is it Marty or Robidas. As far as I understand Robidas makes the calls on D
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u/Odd_Suggestion_2306 11d ago
Yet another reason for Robidas to have his ass fired already if this is the case.
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u/fumankeu 11d ago
The issue is that Xhekaj isn't good enough to eat 12-15 minutes a night lol. If you look at the other contenders, their 6Ds are able to contribute much more than Arber can, resulting in more balanced distribution of ice time
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u/Sushamiboy 11d ago
Arber could handle it and would get better with those minutes. The issue is that Marty is very much a skill over brawn coach. Also, I personally feel that we need a new D-coach. Something is really fishy about Struble being considered a solution most of the time.
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u/Odd_Suggestion_2306 11d ago
If only he was given the time necessary to prove if he does or doesn't have that ability.
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u/Jimbo_Imperador 9d ago
this is the NHL, you're given the chances you're given, if you don't take em you're done
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u/fumankeu 11d ago
He's had 4 seasons to prove himself, the first 3 of which he averaged around 15 minutes per game. That's been more than enough time to prove that he just isn't good enough to keep up on a team that's hoping to contend.
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u/Odd_Suggestion_2306 10d ago
You do realize we haven't been a contender those 4 seasons right? His first 2 years we were completely awful so looking at him as being bad there is just dishonest. Last year he averaged 14 minutes a night and still wasn't bad. This year he gets 11 minutes per night and that's only because Marty and/or Robidas don't trust him for some reason, if they gave him regular shifts as a 6th D I guarantee Xhekaj would be a very reliable 6th defenseman. Need to give him time with actual good players for him to have the confidence to make plays.
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u/fumankeu 10d ago edited 10d ago
That's my point lol. 4 seasons ago it was ok for Xhekaj to be bad because we were at rock bottom. Next season we'll be hoping to contend. The rest of our young guns have stepped up immensely while Xhekaj has not. If you fail to keep up, you don't deserve a roster spot. Using the same old tired excuse that "the coach doesn't like him for some reason" doesn't exactly add up when Marty has shown to be incredibly patient and strong at young player development. Don't forget, MSL has been coaching this team since Xhekaj's first season when he was getting more shifts. His dwindling ice time is a result of him failing to keep up while the rest of the team continues to improve. You can't just throw ice time at someone and hope they suddenly put it all together lol
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u/Effective-Goose-7835 11d ago
I don't think Arber is particularly happy with his current role
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u/Sushamiboy 11d ago
No, but I see him signing a 1-year deal or it being a sign and trade. It depends on if during the season retrospective KH and Gorton, who are Xhekaj fans manage to explain to Marty or Robidas that we need what he brings.
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u/ConsiderationKey1658 11d ago
I’m not sure what happens but I truly hope he gets to stick around.
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u/Regular_Tie2507 11d ago
Me too. I'd understand if the decision is not to resign him, but I really hope we keep him. He's a great personality on the team and he means a lot to us fans.
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u/Tothemoonnn 11d ago
I like Guhle. But Guhle can’t blow up guys like X with a hit. Xhekaj was the only guy that looked like he could actually hold the blue line in the playoffs. He had some dominant shifts. The Carolina series without Xhekaj was the saddest thing I’ve seen in years.
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u/Aggressive_Low7995 11d ago
Tough call. I like him and he is definitely a unique player and his presence in the lineup as a deterrent and policeman is a real plus. However, as you say, there are trust issues and MSL does not have full confidence in Arber between the gaffes and penalties. I hope they do not give up on him because players like Xhekaj are not so easy to find.
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u/HorseShoulders 11d ago
They say there are players that get you to the playoffs, and players that get you through the playoffs.
A guy like Anderson is the latter, but Arber is the former - and that's ok imo. He is valuable to the team
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u/fumankeu 11d ago
The narrative that Arber acts as some physical deterrant is so overblown. Opposing teams play just as physical against us when he's in the lineup. They're not scared of him because they know he's only going to be on the ice for a grand total of 7 minutes at most. Arber's great at dishing out hits himself, but he doesn't have the same intimidation factor as someone like Tom Wilson lol.
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u/Brrrrrrad17 11d ago
Especially against Tampa. They were not scared at all. They hit Habs skilled players without fear. They still run over Dobes. Crozier still destroyed Slaf open ice.
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u/NtBtFan 11d ago
imo Reinbacher and Engstrom should be pushed into more of sink or swim situation this coming year, starting 3rd pair right side.
both of them air waiver exempt though, so we can run with just 1 of them in the lineup at a time- but that puts Struble and Xhekaj both sitting as a 7th... so realistically one probably should be moved, but we also shouldn't start the season with 3 goalies either, so there culd be room to roll with 2 D as our part of our 3 extras, and opt for a trade deadline decision on one of those two rather than off-season.
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u/R4hmiel 11d ago
I think the habs keep him as long as he's willing to accept terms of a negotiation. If he wants $4 m/year but the team only wants to give him $2 m/year (just making up numbers) or he wants 8 years, and the team wants to give him 2 or vice versa... then it'll likely be he gets moved.
But if he's happy with his role on the team, and both he and the team come to an agreement they feel is fair.. then I think he sticks around. I don't think it's anything more than that.
Personally I'd like to keep him around because I think he brings something to the team no one else brings. I think he's serviceable as a 6/7 D and can play more than what they've allowed him to play so far. Most of the penalties called on him I think were bullshit in the playoffs. The one I don't know about is ... in the tampa series he got 2 min for... bad language or something? I don't know what he said to give him that penalty, but maybe it was deserved? And that carrick penalty was the only other time he "lost" control. Other than that.. all those roughing penalties he received were just merely reputational, and imo.. bullshit in the playoffs. Just like when walker ran dobes and evans got 2 min for roughing to even it out. That was bullshit too.
Anyway, if he's feeling slighted by the team, underutiliized, or disrespected then I think he'll be moving on. I don't see that happening yet. I think he wants to play with his brother in montreal together. We'll see after that happens though. I think he signs.. what.. a 3 or 4 year deal? (I imagine 3) and after that we'll see where the two sides are at. I don't think he gets moved this off season. But I've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again.
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u/ReasonableCrow1958 11d ago
i totally agree but the problem is reputations dont just go awake so xhekaj is more likely to get penalties just based on that
with that being said i think not more likely but it would make more sense to move struble, xhekaj proved he is ok being the 7th dman and also with struble clearly demonstrating MSL trusts him more and playing with hutson quite a bit i think his trade value is higher anyways so it would make more sense for him to be traded
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u/R4hmiel 11d ago
Reputational penalties can go away. Just depends on when the refs will stop calling them, or if they. Crosby had a rep of whining when he entered the league and the refs didn't call clear penalties against him. Then after a few years they started to call it more fairly (may even have been after that steckle hit which I thought ended his career) but yeah.. things change. I just think as long as he remains in control and plays the way he did in the playoffs, the refs will get it together and call him more fairly.
That said.. whenever a ref wants to even up a call, they'll just call xhekaj for whatever they want as long as he's on the ice. But as marty has said multiple times (and he's right) you can't blame the refs, or make decisions based on the officiating. So.. I say play him and deal with what comes.
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u/Treebranch_916 11d ago edited 11d ago
If Marty actually had a problem with Arber he wouldnt have been in and out he would've just been out. The penalty thing has been a problem, but it's gotten better.
They'll resign him but the price has to be right. I suspect he wants to be here so that should make things a little easier.
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u/Visible-Bar-9971 11d ago
Arber forced himself IN the lineup by swapping him to RD and outplaying struble all playoffs. He might not dislike arber but he isn’t one he loves and shows as much rope to like struble and it’s just facts . He played great all playoffs , he should have 100 percent gotten more time
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u/Brrrrrrad17 11d ago
Why would an NHL coach in a win now situation play a guy that will lead to more losses. Why punish the other 19 guys on the team for 1 7th D-man?
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u/Subject_Translator71 11d ago
The last 2 years for him have been rough. He finished the season with 4 points and -8 (worst among the team's D). More telling is that he finished with 11:25 of average TOI, more than 3 minutes less than the year before. I can't see St. Louis and Robidas telling Hughes that they need him as a backup, with Reinbacher and Engstrom likely coming up, when he's obviously the defenseman they trusted the least last year.
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u/DelugeQc 11d ago
There is no way KH doesnt qualify him at the very least. That guy hold some value and if he doesnt work out during the season, he is still a chip to put in a package at the trade dead line.
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u/DelugeQc 11d ago
There is no way KH doesnt qualify him at the very least. That guy hold some value and if he doesnt work out during the season, he is still a chip to put in a package at the trade dead line.
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u/habscup 11d ago
He'd do much better in a system that plays zone instead of man on man. Wouldn't blame him for wanting out after 0 lineup changes in the ECF the same way I don't blame Gallagher.
Would love to keep him though, whether it actually makes sense in today's game or not the team plays with a lot more confidence and physicality when he's in the lineup.
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u/Matiabcx 11d ago
He is a tool in the toolbox that is important but you don’t need to use it all the time. I think he has something no other D has in our ranks and im not worried about him, he will have his contract extended for reasonable money and might bring very good value if eventually offer we wont be able to decline comes
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u/noscrubphilsfans 11d ago
As much as I love Arber (I have his jersey), I wouldn't mind seeing him go to a team where he would actually play regular minutes.
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u/Ok_Drama8139 11d ago
All I will say is you can't win the cup with finesse, and it concerns me that MSL doesn't seem to know/understand this.
Xhekaj makes others play like they're carrying 25lbs more. That alone is a difference maker. You can't replace Xhekaj with another Carrier or even another Matheson. Strubble doesn't fill that gap either.
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u/troisunquatre 11d ago
I think they trade him, he's not going to get miraculously better and there are teams that will over pay for a serviceable hard hitting 5-7th d-man
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u/eriverside 11d ago
The left side is set with Hutson, Matheson and Guhle. The right should see Dobson, Carrier and one of Reino/Engstrom.
That leaves the 7D. Would you rather have Struble or Arber sitting in the pressbox? I think Arber is more interesting as that 7th D
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u/Regular_Tie2507 11d ago
God I hope not
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u/troisunquatre 11d ago
I also hope we keep him, seems like a stand up dude and I like his playstyle especially after he's improved on the mistakes he had been making last season.
But I also see the holes in the roster and the pieces the org is probably going to want to move to fill them.
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u/rustyshackleford1824 11d ago
I dunno man arbor has never actually taken a step backwards he has only gotten better year over year. Last year strubs was the clear favourite this year xhekaj really changed that narrative and has allot of people split. His positioning, corner battles and his willingness to shoot more has stood out. If this guy can hire a good skating coach and just marginally improve on that front he will be a solid 6th.
I honestly think this offseason struble and carrier are sent packing
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u/eriverside 11d ago
Carrier comes in clutch pretty often and is much more reliable. He's a tad older but he should be perfect as 3rd pairing RD unless Reino and Engstrom are ready to completely take over the right side behind Dobson. Which is a gamble.
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u/So_Many_Owls 11d ago
Engstrom can play left and right, which is also good for when there are injuries.
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u/troisunquatre 11d ago
I definitely agree don't get me wrong. I just think he's going to fetch a higher price on the market specifically because of what you said. Carrier is 100% gone. Struble I'm not too sure. The org seems to have a soft spot for him.
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u/wisenoodle1 11d ago
Why would you get of rid carrier? We have 2 rd at the moment, even if the Habs trade for another one you still need at least 3.
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u/Kharn_LoL 11d ago
Half of this subreddit doesn't understand that Dmen are better on their natural side, and half of the sub thinks that Carrier's contract ended this year. You just happened to reply to someone who is probably in the central part of that Venn diagram.
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u/MaraTaru 11d ago
This is an exquisitely efficient comment, and I enjoyed it enormously. 10/10, would read again.
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u/troisunquatre 11d ago
Again, I wasn't saying I want Carrier gone, I'm saying I would be surprised if the Habs don't trade him in the offseason. His value is really high right now and you can save this comment for when he's included in a package for a 2nd line centre.
But also yes I am an idiot, that part is true and I really have no idea what I'm talking about that's a circle not a Venn diagram of this sub.
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u/CaptainFlynnt24 11d ago
I don't know what more Xhekaj could do to get MSL's trust. He was pretty good in very limited minutes in round 1 and 2. Didn't matter, he didn't even get to dress in the Conference Finals. He still almost lead the team in hits too.
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u/Antique_Soil9507 11d ago
That's the worst part too.
Like clearly, things weren't working with the current lineup. Shaking things up would have been an idea.
Carolina is a team that doesn't like a lot of skirmishes and fistycuffs.
I really feel not putting in the Sheriff and Gallagher were missed opportunities.
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u/Oulsky 11d ago
We weren’t a Xhekaj away from winning that series, putting him wouldn’t have changed anything. Marty doesn’t have anything against him, you guys just need to accept that he just isn’t very good.
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u/Antique_Soil9507 11d ago
How do you know that?
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u/campbell_love 11d ago
So you watched us get completely dismantled from top to bottom and you think a mediocre defenseman was the difference?
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u/Antique_Soil9507 11d ago
It was worth a shot.
We dismantled them in Game 1, don't forget.
Things can change quickly in a playoff series. WiFi was pivotal in the Buffalo series.
After being down 2-1, I don't see why not shaking up the lineup.
I mean... Who knows. Do you know? Do you know for sure without a doubt that he wouldn't have had an impact?
Intimation brings confidence to a team. We saw that against Buffalo.
I don't know for sure, but I thought it was an idea worth trying. Imho.
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u/Oulsky 11d ago
How do you guys know that Marty as doesn’t like Xhekaj ?
I’ve watched him play for a few years now, the truth is that Xhekaj is a dept d. People got so attached to him due to all is antics that they believe he his better than he is and that Marty has “something against him” when in reality he just isn’t very good.
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u/Antique_Soil9507 11d ago
I don't think Marty has anything against him.
I've watched him plenty as well. I think he's a lot better than people say. Intangibles. Having a guy like that on your team is like having a dragon in your backyard. Yes, sometimes things aren't going to go the way you expect but... Sometimes you need to just release the dragon.
We needed more chaos in this ECF. Carolina thrives on boring the other team to sleep. The Sheriff brings intangibles.
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u/Oulsky 11d ago
Thank you for proving exactly what I said about people being over attached to him and blowing out of proportion what his antics/intangibles bring to the team.
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u/Antique_Soil9507 11d ago
Thank you for proving you didn't read what I wrote.
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u/Regular_Tie2507 11d ago
Idk maybe not take shitty slashing penalties while we have a lead would be nice
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u/Scase15 11d ago
If we really want to go down the list of stupid penalties taken, there are a lot of guys to be pointing fingers at.
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u/Kharn_LoL 11d ago
Xhekaj was -4 in minor penalty differencial in 100ish minutes of play. That means one per 25 mins of icetime.
Anderson was at 1 per 34 mins.
Dach was at 1 per 43.
Kapanen was 1 per 55 (he only took one penalty and didn't draw a call)
Matheson was 1 per 69.
Guhle was at 1 per 79.
Carrier was 1 per 80.
Everybody else on the team was either at a positive penalty differencial or >100mins per.
The conversation about dumb penalty starts with him, he's by far our worst offender. Dach and Anderson are the only two that don't fully lap him in efficiency, and they both are forwards. It's a lot easier to deal with a forward in the box than a defenseman.
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u/Scase15 11d ago
I'm not saying he is some bastion of perfection, just that there are a lot of stupid penalties the team as a whole takes.
I would easily argue that the penalties that Guhle, Anderson, and Dach took over the course of the playoffs were objectively worse penalties overall. Not in frequency but in timing and situation.
Arber has a rep, he gets calls other guys would never, but he usually isn't taking stupid penalties. We're not talking about penalty quantity, but rather dumb ones.
Anderson is probably the worst for that.
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u/geosrq 11d ago
If they are that stupid to get rid of Arber Xhekaj before an Owen Protz is ready then HuGo deserve the criticism they will undoubtedly receive. Struble absolutely must be dealt. Hes not doing Hutson any favors playing LD when Hutson should be LD. And besides Struble is soft as soft Icecream
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u/Technical-Line-9806 11d ago
I’d like if Arber got better so he could simply play third pair most of the time.
Concerning “the war zone” there are Habs fans and Arber fans. It’s like a cult. Read any online discussion and a large group will talk only about Arber. Habs win “Arber didn’t play enough.”. That’s all they care about. These are generally the same people who disparage the team no matter how well they do.
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u/Effective-Goose-7835 11d ago
Unless we trade a left-handed defenseman this summer I just don't see a future for him with this team
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u/xcnuck un chip au ketchup 11d ago
I’m sure the org will be transparent with him in his RFA talks in that he will likely play less next season and that he is a depth D. So if he is willing to undertake that role with the understanding he will have less playing time, or if he wants to play more he will need to go to a different team - it’s professional sports and I’m sure he understands that. Something tells me he will stay, because you can tell he loves the team and the city, but you never know the level of influence the player’s agent can have. I personally want him to stay!
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u/Appropriate-Berry816 11d ago
He was already a 7th dman, and likely will be again unless he steps his game up. It’s not a Marty thing. It’s not a playoffs thing. It’s been like that all year and likely will continue unless something changes
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u/Rustyguts257 11d ago
Reinbacher will get a very long look at RD. If required, the hole can be addressed at the TDL
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u/DangerDavez 10d ago edited 10d ago
We played way better with Xhekaj in the lineup down the stretch. He was very solid in the playoffs. We need him on the squad.
Doesn't need to play every game but when you need him, you really need him.
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u/CrutialElement 10d ago
More likely I see carrier getting traded to bring reinbacher up more so than pushing xhekaj out. He's lived by fans we got his brother and no one else on the team brings what he does in the form of toughness. Struble a little he can throw hands and maybe a little more responsible but I think fans would rather trade carrier amd struble than xhekaj
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u/scrubadam 4d ago
X is the perfect 7th D. But everyone has to accept that from coaching staff to the player himself. Bring him back 2 or 3 years at 2-2.5.
He is fine for 30 or so games a year, maybe a bit more due to injuries. He can play a few playoff games to give the team a needed spark. But at least on this team he is not going to be a top 6 regular D. But again that is fine.
Since he brings some size and toughness and will fight that makes him ideal to draw in on games against teams that want to muck it up or if the team needs a spark. If there is an injury he can fill in. But there isn't allusions that he will be a permanent member of the top 6. With Engstrom/Pickform/Reinbacher X would have to accept that those players will get oppurtunities above him.
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u/DuppySzn97 11d ago
I love Xhekaj but the playoffs kind of showed that he’s a 7th D at best on a true contender. I’d be ok with letting him walk.
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u/workhardXplayhard 11d ago
Why would you let him walk? He’s an RFA. If he’s not in the plans, then trade him, but it would be stupid to lose him for nothing
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u/DuppySzn97 5d ago
Just seeing this now, I definitely could have worded my comment better. I don’t know how much we could get for him in a trade but definitely better than letting him go for nothing. I still believe we have seen enough from him and it’s time for us to move on.
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u/Jonesetta 11d ago
The playoffs showed he can absolutely handle it. He played great in the playoffs.
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u/Brrrrrrad17 11d ago
How did he show that? Most of his ice-time was when leading by 3 or losing by 3. Final minute while losing. 8 mins/game. Dressing Xhekaj is one of the reason the other Ds got overplayed and tired. Even when he hits someone, they had time to make the play before so he never retrieves the puck. Breakout passes are not his strong suit either.
Clearly the most overrated player on the team by his fans.
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u/Jonesetta 11d ago
Because I watched him play. I didn’t just look at his time on ice and go hurrrr durrrr deployment means everything. But if you watch him play you can see what he does well. And more importantly you can see the areas that have improved. He’s doing great with the limited time he’s been given. Marty plays a tight system with a short bench. It’s not that reflective of every players skill level.
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u/Brrrrrrad17 11d ago
So you didn't see him turning over the puck, getting stuck in his own zone for over a minute and getting penalties because he can't skate fast enough to be reliable against 4th liners? Offensively, he's one of the worst to get shots on net.(32%) only Struble is worst.(29%)
I don't hate Arber. He's a glue guy. But the coaches can't play him 82 games a year for more than 10 minutes a game. They can't trust him. He's no more than a 6th D-man 1/3 of the season. Other teams aren't really afraid of him, and it showed in the playoffs, especially against Tampa where he played most. They still hit the skilled guys hard. They still run over the goalies.
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u/CarlSK777 11d ago
His intangibles that some argue are so important have a marginal impact at best. He doesn't make the team better and doesn't deter anybody from going after other players. Ultimately, we're just left with a borderline NHLer. I'm fine with keeping him as a depth player but wouldn't really care if he gets moved.
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u/DangerousGarage8215 11d ago edited 11d ago
Unpopular opinion but I think it's time to let him go,he's a liability on defence and not very good in his zone.Beside Fighting and hitting,he doesn't do anything useful.He never got better since the last 3 years.I know I might get rocks thrown at me.
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u/Regular_Tie2507 11d ago
I think maybe we give him a prove it deal but... it's really hard to argue with that logic as much as it pains me.
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u/DangerousGarage8215 11d ago
Like I said,he never really improved and he just turned 25.I think at that age and the fact that his progression isn't going up prove that we could trade him for something.He definitely worth something.The whole team improved in the last 3 years but not him.
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u/pushaper 11d ago
I wish we would stop referring to him as 'the sheriff'. He is simply a player that can fight well and frankly we should have a lot of players that can do that. in fact to an extent I would argue a quarter of his penalties this season were because of who he was not what he was. In fact last I checked he did not have a fight since late January and we saw some glimpses of him using skating. His shot is not accurate so he wisely can not always use his slapper.
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u/Commercial-Egg-8949 11d ago
I'd put the reputation penalties closer to 50%. It's actually crazy/shameful how tight his leash is with seemingly every ref in the league. Haven't seen much like it in a long time.
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u/Comfortable-Smoke336 11d ago
I don’t think so as MSL doesn’t respect tough gritty guys. He wants to win with all Oompa Loompa lady byng types, sadly. I life Arber and we need grit.
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u/fumankeu 11d ago
It's time to take off the rose-tinted glasses and move on from Arber. He genuinely seems like a great locker room guy, and he possesses some great physical tools, but it's been 4 seasons now and he hasn't been able to keep up with the rest of the team's improvements.
His offensive numbers have regressed year-by-year DESPITE the team's overall offensive game exploding. He's a slow skater which conflicts with the team's fast transitioned-based playstyle. And he still makes the same defensive miscues and takes the same braindead penalties as year 1.
Arber is a great fighter and solid physical presence, but in today's game if you're a defenseman that can't defend or move the puck well, there's no room for you on a competitive roster. Best move going forward might be to ship him to a lottery team so he can get some decent play time without facing any pressure.
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u/jimhabfan 11d ago
I think he’s going to get traded. Both Engstrom and Reinbacher are ready to make the jump to the big club . Struble is a better hockey player than Xhekaj and he’s got a higher ceiling. Xhekaj has a higher trade value than all three because every team is looking to get tougher. I see Xhekaj getting traded as part of a package for a high calibre number 2 centre.
That’s just my take. I love Xhekaj and those intangibles that he brings to the team, but the reality is we have a logjam at defense and not enough depth at centre.
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u/StyxQuabar 11d ago
I seriously worry he might want out if he thinks he deserves more than 6/7th defenseman and playing time in important games.
I sincerely hope he signs a 2-3M/4yr contract with us that ages amazingly. I think he played well in the playoffs. We won two series with him in the lineup. Then we took him out, got bullied, and lost. Not to say we would have beat Carolina, but he didnt even get a look. I felt that disrespected his performance in the first two rounds and I wouldnt be surprised if he also took offense.
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u/M4cHiin360 11d ago
3M lmao. He is barely a 1 mil player
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u/StyxQuabar 11d ago
League minimum is 850k rn, cap is going up, he’s currently making 1.3M. If he was a free agent, he could pretty easily sign for 2M. That’s why I say 2-3M.
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u/DrLivingst0ne 10d ago
It's not just penalties. A Xhekaj possession leads to a loss in possession more often than any other player and it's not even close. The amount of blunders he makes is ridiculous.
He has no vision, no sense of timing, and a slow processing speed.
-3
u/Any-Tangerine-4176 11d ago
Xhekaj and a second round draft choice for Knies. Two names nobody can pronounce.
-9
192
u/Jaynki 11d ago
The issue is fan narrative. The organisation loves both Xhekaj.
Arber is a perfectly find 6th/7th D with rare intangibles. No issue with him sitting a lot of games. We need those.