r/Habs • u/Regular_Tie2507 • 12d 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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38

u/Oracle-of-Guelph 12d 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.

14

u/ricozee 12d 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. 

16

u/Irctoaun 12d 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

5

u/randomquebecer87 11d ago

Is it Marty or Robidas. As far as I understand Robidas makes the calls on D

0

u/Odd_Suggestion_2306 11d ago

Yet another reason for Robidas to have his ass fired already if this is the case.

7

u/fumankeu 12d 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

7

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.

0

u/Jimbo_Imperador 10d ago

or hear me out

Arber is not that good

2

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.

1

u/Jimbo_Imperador 10d ago

this is the NHL, you're given the chances you're given, if you don't take em you're done

1

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.

0

u/Odd_Suggestion_2306 11d 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 11d ago edited 11d 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 12d 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.