Analyst Is Convinced the Montreal Canadiens Are Trading Defenseman Arber Xhekaj
One NHL analyst believes the Montreal Canadiens are on track to trade fan favorite defenseman Arber Xhekaj after a slow start to the season.
That analyst is none other than former Hab Georges Laraque. Laraque claims that a trade involving Xhekaj is very likely, if not certain. He makes sure to add that the 23-year-old would be an every day player on most other NHL teams.
Considering that the Habs are currently 8th in their division, one would imagine that Xhekaj should be getting more playing time as the roster as it is set up currently is not getting it done. Notably, Xhekaj was a healthy scratch again last night as the Rangers trounced Montreal 7-2. During the game, Rangers captain Jacob Trouba made a huge hit on Justin Barron, sparking outrage from the Habs. One fan pointed out that it is hits like that from Trouba is the principle reason Xhekaj should be in the lineup. Especially against the Rangers, given Trouba's history.
Afterall, Xhekaj has been effective in this role when he has been in the lineup this season. During the season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Xhekaj shut down Max Domi who was trying to fight David Savard by offering to fight with him instead. Perhaps that kind of presence would be useful to have considering it worked in the game against Toronto.
If anything though, Xhekaj appears to be regressing. He's getting less ice time per game and his on-ice results are not improving. So far this season he's appeared in 5 games and is a -4, with 8 giveaways. As such, his trade value is likely decreasing. However, this very well could simply be seen as a situation where the player needs a change of scenery. Regardless, it should be interesting to see where this goes, so be sure to keep an eye on the Habs trade rumor front.
