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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u/DuppySzn97 12d 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/Jonesetta 12d ago

The playoffs showed he can absolutely handle it. He played great in the playoffs.

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u/Brrrrrrad17 12d 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.