Montreal's Arber Xhekaj Opens Up On His Season As He Fights For a Roster Spot With The Canadiens
PUBLICATION
Tom Banks
December 12, 2024 (7:01 PM)
Arber Xhekaj has faced many healthy scratches this season, and now he's opened up on his mindset as he continues battling for a spot in Montreal's lineup.
The Montreal Canadiens believe they have a gem in defenseman Arber Xhekaj, but despite this and praise from Head Coach Martin St. Louis, he's somewhat struggled to find his game beyond fighting at the NHL level.
As of late however, he's faced fewer healthy scratches and has been a consistent player in the Canadiens lineup, and now he's revealed the mindset shift that has led to his consistent play.
"I've honestly just taken a step back & blended a little bit," Xhekaj said. " I just kinda work on my game slowly. You don't need to stand out, you don't need to do anything crazy. You keep it simple & just defend. I'm trying to build that floor of defending. Who knows how high my ceiling can get in this league?»
This is a fantastic change for Xhekaj after finding himself at the centre of fights seemingly every night early in the year, and with the more balanced, grounded approach, he's certainly improving as a player.
«Right now I'm just blending in & just playing my game, playing solid for the team & obviously just being a good defender out there," Xhekaj said.
It's clear that early in his career Xhekaj was too focused on making a major impact on every game, but now he's working on balance and being a team player, and it's improved his game mightily.
While we may not know his true ceiling at the NHL level for a number of years now, it's clear that he can be a solid player in the league, and if he can work this balance in with the physical nature of his game, he'll no doubt be in the league for a long time to come.
| POLL |
Will Arber Xhekaj be an every day player in the NHL one day? |
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