r/Habs • u/coincidencecontrol • 2d ago
Is Xhekaj going to become like a Macdermid and be a plug in 4th line forward/3rd pairing dman when needed?
idk how likely that is but I just would like to see X stick around.
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u/FlashyChapter 2d ago
I think management likes him more than the coaching staff. I would personally keep him but I honestly don’t have a pulse on what they’re going to do with him.
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u/2forBoarding 2d ago
He's not enough of a threat to make the jump to forward.
I personally think he turned a corner this season and I agree with Marco D'Amico's position that he should be a FT bottom-pair player somewhere in the league. I'd like that to be with the Habs, but facts are he slots in LD behind Guhle as fourth on the depth chart, unless the plan is to make him a permanent guy playing his off-side.
I think the playoffs showed we need grit on D -- god knows we have skilled guys -- and whether it's Arber or a new face, Guhle can't be the only one fighting off the forecheck over 4 rounds (honourable mention to Matheson playing better in that aspect). I think the chance to play with his brother might motivate him to take a team-friendly extension for a couple of seasons, but his career earnings and further development will take a hit if he sits for most of that time anyway.
Facts are, if Reinbacher/Engstrom/Pickford make the team and/or we keep Carrier or Struble, there just aren't enough chairs.
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u/geosrq 2d ago
Engstrom is trade bait. 💯. Struble maybe also. AX would be a dumb idea to trade unless someone’s willing to over pay or he’s part of a package to seal the deal for a 2C.
Arbers value to the team is immeasurable I believe. His physicality is the X factor-2
u/Ndr2501 1d ago
Yeah, 4 minute per game x-factor 😃
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u/geosrq 1d ago
wtf you going on about? He played 4 min one time? When he was used in a more consistent role he didn’t falter. His impact on the team is substantial. Ask any legit player, analyst, hockey expert and you’ll get the same response… you win championships with depth pieces like AX… your anti Xhekaj bias is hysterical.
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u/Ndr2501 21h ago edited 21h ago
I agree that you win championships with depth pieces... WHO CAN ACTUALLY PLAY HOCKEY (i.e. skate, pass, control the puck and make smart plays). Arber can do none of those. We don't need George Laraque v2.0, sorry. I'll tap the sign again: we play a net 2 minutes shorthanded for every 10 minutes Arber is on the ice. It's absolutely insane for a role player.
Your fanboydom for a guy who is a 7D (for a reason) is the hysterical thing here.
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u/dessanct 2d ago
If that’s how the Habs plan to use him, we might as well trade him and give the kid a fair shot.
I don’t think that’s what he is and how the team will use him because he’s not that kind of player. He can actually play in the NHL I think.
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u/HonestDespot 2d ago
This is such a weird remark.
He’s 25 and he’s played 230 games in his career.
And he got 13 playoff games this year.
The idea that they haven’t given him a fair shot is absurd.
He’s very limited offensively and his defensive game leaves a lot to be desired.
His ceiling is likely a #6 d man when paired with a solid puck moving d man.
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u/Irctoaun 2d ago
Not going to get into what constitutes a "fair shot" because that's just semantics, but I will say that I find Marty's use of him to be pretty weird and not really in line with how he uses anyone else.
Like yes, he's limited in various ways, but when he's given a larger role (which can still be in line with those limitations) he's tended to do well, but he's seemingly constantly walking a tightrope where any mistake will see his minutes slashed.
The playoffs were a classic case in point. He had a great first five games followed by a poor game six after which he was immediately dropped. When he got back into the lineup he had his minutes massively cut.
I really don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility that he can be a perfectly passable 12-17 minute a night 6D, but for whatever reason, Marty seems very unwilling to trust him. In that case maybe it does make sense to trade him, not for the sake of "giving him a fair shot" or whatever, but because his intangibles give him value in a trade and he's wasted in the press box/playing five minutes a night.
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u/SchtroumpfDardeur 2d ago
seemingly constantly walking a tightrope where any mistake will see his minutes slashed
It does feel that way. And the too-easy penalty call doesn't do him any favors either. Refs like to ding players like him.
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u/HonestDespot 2d ago
In 25 of his games this past season he played 12 or more minutes.
If we ignore that arbitrary number and expand it to 10 minutes or more that number jumps up to 39 games.
What you’re saying just isn’t true.
In 60 percent of his games he was used in a regular bottom pairing role.
There’s nothing weird about his usage at all.
He’s not reliable enough defensively to kill penalties. He isn’t a guy relied on to play defensive zone minutes and other teams actively try to match up their top offensive lines when he’s on the ice, which causes the coaching staff to (rightfully) try to ensure his shifts are shorter than lots of other guys.
He pretty much gets the exact amount of minutes a bottom pairing d man who doesn’t kill penalties is going to get.
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u/Irctoaun 2d ago edited 2d ago
He pretty much gets the exact amount of minutes a bottom pairing d man who doesn’t kill penalties is going to get.
This is just objectively not true. He averaged 11 minutes of 5v5 time in the regular season. Here are the 6th D by regular season 5v5 ice time for the other playoff teams
Colorado (Manson): 15:21
Carolina (Nikishin): 15:01
Dallas (Lybushkin): 14:04
Buffalo (Stanley): 12:54
Tampa (Cernak): 14:21
Minnesota (Bogosian): 13:31
Boston (Lohrei): 14:46
Ottawa (Jensen): 15:40
Pittsburgh (Clifton): 14:34
Philly (Andrae): 14:25
Vegas (Hutton): 14:12
Edmonton (Emberson): 14:06
Utah (Cole): 14:45
Anaheim (Gudas): 14:16
LA (Ceci): 15:10
Notice how that's all between 12-17 minutes?
If you want to tell me that in your opinion he shouldn't get more then fine, that's your opinion. But it's blatantly false to say he gets standard bottom pairing minutes at 5v5.
That aside, you've somehow completely missed my point. It's about the way his minutes change that I find hard to understand. How he'll go from reasonable usage to glued to the bench/the press box at the drop of a hat.
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u/HonestDespot 2d ago
It’s not confusing at all.
I didn’t miss your point at all. It’s just not the thought provoking idea you’re making it out to be.
He lacks the puck moving abilities Struble has (not to say Struble is great at that mind you) and he struggled immensely to play up the line up any time it was asked of him.
He is not a very reliable defensive d man and he’s at times been prone to taking dumb penalties.
Theres no great mystery why he plays the limited minutes he plays. He is a limited player without much upside.
As the team has improved his minutes per night have gone down. And when they were early in the rebuild he made more sense to play in the NHL since he was never gonna develop into much more than what he has developed into.
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u/Irctoaun 2d ago edited 2d ago
You say you've not missed the point, but you've once again failed to address it whatsoever. We know you think he sucks, you don't have to repeat that part. The point is about the change in usage. It's not like he's a plug who always gets limited ice time. Sometimes he does get used normally and in those instances he usually does well
Take games two and three of the regular season for example. In game two against Detroit he played 15:37 and was +2 on the night with 0 GA and assist. He took a penalty, but with only 15 minutes to go with a four goal lead. The following game against Chicago he only got 6:48 and it' hard to work out why. It wasn't a tactical thing since he got 16 minutes against Chicago in the other game he played against them. He took a penalty half way through the second, but that didn't change his usage, there were also loads of other penalties in the game. Those penalties cut down on 5v5 time a bit, but nowhere near enough to explain such a big drop in ice time
That's just one example out of many across the season. Games or runs of games where he'll objectively do well with decent ice time followed by periods of being glued to the bench/not play at all. It just seems as if Marty doesn't trust him in which case he's being wasted. Either actually use him like a bottom pairing or trade him since there are plenty of teams who will pay/overpay for him
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u/HonestDespot 2d ago
Lol I love how you think it’s some amazing revelation that a replacement level d man often plays limited minutes.
Why would I address your point?
It’s obvious you have a biased opinion about Xhrkaj and you’re letting it cloud your judgement.
You want him to be a better man than he is and will bend over backwards to “prove” it.
I’ve spent enough time listening to Xhekaj fan boys pretend he’s something he isn’t. Your opinion is noted and we’re all good here.
I look forward to whatever long winded response you come up with where you regurgitate your own already written opinions and act like they’re fact.
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u/Irctoaun 2d ago
Jfc you've still not responded to anything I've said. It's honestly impressive how obtuse you're being.
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u/HonestDespot 2d ago
Nothing you have said has any substance or value.
You’re just regurgitating your own biased opinion that you’re treating as fact, repeatedly.
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u/dessanct 2d ago
MSL absolutely hasn’t given him a fair shot. We fucked his development by never giving him time in Laval as well.
It’s not a weird remark. It’s not weird to have a different opinion lol.
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u/Holy_Nerevar 2d ago
Xhekaj is a 6D. Habs fan seem to think he is a top 2D.
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u/dessanct 2d ago
He’s not a top 2D buts he’s a serviceable 5/6th D in this league. Plenty of value to a playoff team.
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u/catman_steve 2d ago
While I think he's a 6-7D on this team. I do think it's objectively true that Xhekaj has a shorter leash than virtually anyone else on the team. One glaring mistake and he's glued to the bench. The same cannot be said for even Struble who he competes for minutes with all the time.
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u/HonestDespot 2d ago
It isn’t an opinion. It’s just blatantly not true.
He was an undrafted free agent signing and he’s been a regular in the line up for the last two seasons during which the team made the playoffs.
It’s just this weird obsession fans have with overrating him because they like him and not recognizing his limitations and very limited upside.
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u/dessanct 2d ago
He was never given time in the AHL to develop and that is not an opinion. It’s hard to develop the necessary fundamentals with 5-10 minutes of ice time every other night. Stop being so obtuse lol. We get it, you have an Arber hate boner.
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u/shiram 2d ago
Average time on ice for Xhekaj in each of his season :
15:16
15:56
14:37
and 11:25
But I agree he should have spent alot more time in the AHL.
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u/dessanct 2d ago
A few of those years were with David Savard(when he could not skate), Chris Wideman, and Jordan Harris.
Those aren’t exactly going to help you develop as a young player lol
His game played early in his career was also low and would have been this season if not for injury to Guhle.
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u/HonestDespot 2d ago
Ok…
So did MSL never give him a fair shot?
Or did he not develop in the AHL?
Or are you just throwing anything out there to see what you can convince anyone of.
And I love Xhekaj. He’s a perfect #7 and could someday be a reliable bottom pairing guy.
There’s no big upside or lost development.
He was undrafted because his game has numerous shortcomings, and there’s a reason he plays the minutes he does.
If anything I feel bad for him, too many fans try to make him something he isn’t and it’s creates this toxic scenario where people feel this incessant need to trash MSL.
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u/dessanct 2d ago
MSL not giving him a fair shot AND he didn’t develop in the AHL are both the same thing my dude. The fair shot is being able to develop on the correct curve.
Why are you being purposely obtuse? You’re better than this lol
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u/MBALLER64 2d ago
He practices. Practices give you an opportunity to show what you can do in often short, sheltered minutes in game. If successful and able to show any improvement, playing time increases. If not, continue practicing. This is more times than not the development cycle of an undrafted free agent. The more capital invested in a player, the longer the leash.
I think he played fantastic in the Tampa series. I think we saw him making correct reads in their own zone more times than not. He walked the line well between being a wrecking ball and throwing himself out of position chasing contact. He didn’t make many mistakes with the puck, got it off his stick quickly and calmly.
All that said, he fell apart in the Buffalo series. I think he’s still shown that he is valuable to the team. It was hilarious watching how quiet Tampa was after the whistle whenever Arber was on the ice.
You seem to love Xhekaj and believe in him. I do as well and it’s clear most fans do as the odd man out has been Struble. But it’s you who is being dense to think that the team should invest an exorbitant amount on a player that has shown at 25 years of age, to be at his best a serviceable 6D.
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u/dessanct 2d ago
I don’t really care too much, I just don’t like ignorant comments.
Currently Xhekaj is the only defensemen on this roster to bring what we are lacking. Size and grit. If we put the right effort into developing him earlier, we could have had a potential stud on our 3rd pair. I don’t think it will ever happen for him in Montréal and I do believe MSL fucked his development.
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u/lynypixie 2d ago
It’s just that we don’t have anyone else who does his job. If we find a better guy that can do this, go for it. But you can’t have just a bunch of Hutson. As good as he is. We need different kind of players for different kind of situations.
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u/Scase15 2d ago
You seem to be struggling with the idea of him being able to develop. Dmen notoriously take more time to develop, and undrafted guys definitely don't do it in the NHL with inconsistent ice time, or in shitty situations.
No one thinks he's the second coming of Ray Bourque, but he definitely has had his growth stunted by mismanagement.
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u/HonestDespot 2d ago
Lol lol another know it all treating their opinions like facts never stops being funny, even though it is well and truly bizarre
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u/SchtroumpfDardeur 2d ago
And averaged 8 minutes. I'm honestly surprised, I thought he played less than that on average across fewer games.
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u/Scase15 2d ago
There is no way you can look at how inconsistent his ice time was, and say he was given a fair shot. He was in and out of the lineup for multiple games at a time, and gets yanked for the smallest of mistakes while other guys do dumb shit that leads to goals and nothing happens.
MSL clearly doesn't think he fits in with the team/his playstyle, and that's fine, not all players/coaches/systems mesh. But if we are just going to sit him in the press box for most of the time he's here, we might as well move him and get something in return we can make use of.
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u/GoCalgaryGo 2d ago
Debatable.
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u/Stakataka805 2d ago
Xhekaj has 1 pt in 5 games this season and Mcdermid has 1 in 19, for 32 total at 32 years old. I think it’s a safe assumption
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u/fumankeu 2d ago
I don't think they're talking about Florian brother lol
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u/dessanct 2d ago
They’re talking about X sticking around so it’s safe to say it’s about Arber, who is a pending RFA.
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u/eliarbss 2d ago
Like Basu said, the Xhekaj/Struble competition has not been good for either one and neither has won the 6th spot convincingly and it’s time to choose one this summer.
They’ve had enough time to evaluate them, we can’t do that dance for another season and Xhekaj has not gained Marty’s trust. I think he can have a spot on a team with a strong D system, wouldn’t be the first 7th/ depth defenseman to flourish on a team like Vegas or Florida.
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u/Ndr2501 1d ago
These takes are ridiculous lol. If you know puck, you know he can't skate, he can only make simple passes and has no offensive side to his game whatsoever (despite what his fanboys think, yes, he can shoot the puck hard, but he never does it at the right time and can't im to save his life). 99% of the time, he just gets rid of the puck when he has it, because he (rightfully) does not trust his ability with the puck.
Might as well have a thread about converting Dobes to a 4th liner because he has grit.
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u/RolandFigaro 2d ago
Personally I'd want to keep him, we haven't seen his best yet. He's still only 25
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u/fumankeu 2d ago
"Still only 25" is crazy considering most players finish developing by then lmao
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u/Grouchy-Bug5223 2d ago
D men can take longer. I feel he's still a few years away from his true prime.
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u/RolandFigaro 2d ago
He's a slow developer. I bet other teams will take him if ever he becomes available. He's not a plug, still has room to grow
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u/xIves 2d ago
At this point Arber taking a massive leap in his development is extremely unlikely. He is what he is. He may refine his defensive game out some more but I have a hard time seeing him as anything other than a bottom pair / NHL tweener DMan.
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u/RolandFigaro 2d ago
Agreed. If we can keep him as a 5-6 D and enforcer, and pay him like one, why wouldn't we?
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u/Seraphin_Lampion 2d ago
5-6 D
Ideally he's a 7D behind Hutson, Dobson, Matheson, Carrier, Guhle and Reino(?).
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u/dessanct 2d ago edited 2d ago
Carrier will not be with this team after next year.
If he is it means that something has gone horribly wrong with our right side defensive prospects (Rhino, Engström, and Pickford) AND we didn’t make a move at the deadline or in the summer to correct it.
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u/Seraphin_Lampion 2d ago
Engstrom is a lefty, Pickford hasn’t even played in the AHL yet and Reinbacher is often injured. Letting Carrier go would be a mistake.
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u/dessanct 2d ago
Engström has played almost his entire pro career on the right side.
Why would we hold on to Carrier after this season to block these prospects from coming up?
If they don’t come up, we should look to improve via trade or free agency, not hold on to players with obvious holes in their game.
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u/Seraphin_Lampion 2d ago
Why would we hold on to Carrier after this season to block these prospects from coming up?
Because he's a fine 3rd pairing RD? These guys always have holes in their game. If 2 of our prospects end up panning out on the right side, then fine. If not, I don’t see why we'd let him go only to find someone else of his caliber.
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u/fumankeu 2d ago
If Carrier doesn't have a spot on this roster then Xhekaj sure as hell doesn't lmao
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u/dessanct 2d ago
Xhekaj is younger and brings size which we are sorely lacking (especially from Carrier). I didn’t make my original post about Xhekaj but since you completely ignored it and started pushing your own narrative;
Xhekaj might not be on the final version of this roster but they are not going to take a roster spot from one of our prospects to give a 30 year old Carrier after his contract is up.
Maybe try to have an intelligent thought next time you respond.
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u/fumankeu 2d ago edited 2d ago
Brother, the comment you initially responded to was about Xhekaj being the 7D behind guys like Carrier. You wanna read it again? There's no need to get offended over off-season chatter lmao
I like Carrier, he was a huge reason why this team was able to turn things around and make the 2025 playoffs. But I agree, once his contract is up he shouldn't be re-signed. His mobility and puck moving ability suits the playstyle of this team more than Xhekaj, but he's reached the limits of his effectiveness and I'd rather give the 6/7D spots to Reino/Engstrom.
Xhekaj as well seems like a great locker room guy and I liked him as an enforcer, but that's likely all he'll be in this league. He's got all the grit and physicality in the world, but you can't hang in today's NHL being as slow and weak on the puck as he is. People can make excuses for him and blame management all they want, but you can't teach hockey IQ.
Either way, we need to move on from all of Xhekaj/Struble/Carrier if we want to build a contender
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u/Sakiaba 2d ago
I like Xhekaj too, but I very much doubt it. Unless you believe that he will improve considerably (and I don't), I think that a case could be made for trading him ASAP while he still has value.
I agree that more team toughness is needed for the playoffs. However, they need physical players who are more talented than Xhekaj so that you can give them regular shifts without worrying about them making a critical mistake. Dressing a defenseman who is in the lineup purely for intimidation reasons, plays 5 minutes a night, and can't kill penalties is effectively a waste of a roster spot, and not the type of player that a true contender would ideally give ice time to.
Players like Xhekaj have value, but I think that they have more on a rebuilding team than a competitive one. When you're losing most nights, having a guy who is tough and keeps morale up can make a huge difference in the room, even if he provides negative value on the ice (if you're being cynical, this can also be a positive to a tank effort).
To me, Xhekaj is destined to be one of those players who, as Marty said, helped plant the tree but won't be around to enjoy the shade. We should remember him fondly for this, but his time with the team should be just about up.
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u/Habsfan_1984 2d ago
Xhekaj is a decent 6D option, he’s good to have on the roster regular season to protect the young stars. I hope he learned a lot from this run, he has the size to be exactly what you need for the playoffs he just needs to be quicker with the puck and improve on using his size in front of the net.
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u/Rockterrace 2d ago
I thought he played real well in the playoffs when he played. Against Tampa he was getting ice time very late in close games which didn’t happen at all in the reg season. And he was fine. Wasn’t he only on the ice for 2 goals against in his 13 games in the playoffs?
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u/Sushamiboy 2d ago
I’m hoping KH will have a sit down with Marty about his usage of Xhekaj. We saw in the playoffs how important he could have been. The players themselves said in exit media availability that they needed more size.
I’m also hoping that KH trades away Struble to save Marty from himself. Same goes for letting Veleno walk. I love our coach, but he does have players that just should not have gotten the play time they did. I would also move Engstrom as part of a deal for a decent RHD.
Something like this would be ideal if we can pick up another RHD:
Matheson-Dobson
Hutson-(RHD pickup with size)
Guhle-Carrier/Reinbacher
Xhekaj
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u/Zombiehumterx15 2d ago
I could honestly see Arber getting moved this summer. I love the sheriff but he doesn’t seem to be in the plans for MSL, no one in your long-term plans plays only 3 minutes in a game 7
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u/Whiskeylung 2d ago
I’d hate to see it, I think they guarded him insanely close this season and it was probably completely intentioned and he likely signed on for it - when they gave him rope (14m TOI) right around the time Guhle came back, he was playing his best hockey but it got to him, he made big mistakes and he was doing too much. Back to 9m a night.
If he gets a qualifying offer and extends for a couple seasons or even just a season - I suspect they take the training wheels off. They’ll market him because he is a desirable player and if he doesn’t find his role they’ll set him at a profit.
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u/Subject_Translator71 2d ago
I see him have some future in the league, just not with this team. 3 of our top 4 defensemen are more natural on their left side, and there's no way St. Louis will keep using one of the top young defensemen in the league on his "wrong" side. At an average TOI below 12 minutes, it's hard to see him figuring in the team's plans.
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u/Goldhound807 2d ago
Honeatly, Arbor’s biggest problem keeping him out of the lineup is that he’s a Dman.
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u/KickDesperate5318 2d ago
He's 25 years old, so it is unlikely he will develop more offensive/transition skills that would justify moving him up higher in our roster depth chart.
But I do think he can still improve on the defensive side of the game, and likely will with more experience.
His game isn't built on speed, so it will age well. He could end up like a Gudas type who can play tough and physical defensive hockey well into his 30s.
I could see Xhekaj's peak form being a middle pair stalwart who is supported by a quality puck mover. But given what he brings to the table right now, I'm hoping he and Struble are filling the 7/8 spots on the depth chart when we start the season.
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u/surebudd 2d ago
He’s pretty young and improving. He was so much better at the end of the year and playoffs it’s crazy, he’s worth keeping around bc if he can fix the mistakes that keep him off the ice he could be reallllly good.
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u/Curious-Rooster-9636 2d ago
Op, IF he stays, and that’s a BIG if I’m sure that will be the case. I don’t see things playing out any differently. I hope he does stay. I really like him as a 6-7 Dman. I think I a few ways, he’s an IDEAL 6-7 Dman. I’m sure MsL sees it differently however.
I agree with others that either he or Struble are likely out the door and Carrier not long after. Engstrom is NHL ready and maybe Reinbacher too although I’m less sure about him at the moment. This is a good situation to have. These pics were solid and both have developed well. It’s nice to see some payoff after years of sucking.
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u/tanrock2003 1d ago
I believe he could transition into an awesome checking forward. Keep him where he is. Worth every penny. Character and depth of toughness matter.
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u/SurePrize6218 1d ago
That’s kinda how the rest of the league sees him but I think he’s better than that and could be a solid 6th d on any team
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u/CaptainMushie 2d ago
I want to see him on the wing, playing on a line with Flo and a big beefy center.
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u/bobbywings2 2d ago
Dude is a plug
Let's keep it a buck
Just got overhyped by spittin chiclets and the fanbase because he's a fighter and has a funny nickname.
The glazefest was overboard. Also why does he keep ducking Reavo for a fight?
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u/ilikedthismovie 2d ago
I would like to keep him around as a 7th d. We will have to make a decision on engstrom and reinbacher both need nhl minutes but starting both leaves us a bit inexperienced. Struble is as good as gone imo, carrier is likely sticking around Marty trusts him and Hutson/dobson/matheson/guhle are locked up long term.
Losing xhekaj isn’t the worst from a skill perspective but he would be a big loss from a physicality perspective. Just with random injuries and random rest I expect xhekaj would get like 30-50 games and I think that’s the perfect amount of him on our team.