Introduction
There is perhaps no player who has captivated the Montreal Canadiens fanbase in the way that Arber Xhekaj has in the past few years while not having the projection of a star player. That isn’t meant to be disparaging to him, a player who has literally and figuratively fought for every opportunity to show his worth, from the OHL all the way up to the NHL.
Arriving originally as an unknown training-camp invite and leaving with an entry-level contract, Xhekaj has had a meteoric rise to becoming an everyday NHL defenceman. He has lost parts of two seasons to shoulder injuries, one of which he admitted to keeping under wraps from the medical staff. Despite those concerns fans consistently have him pencilled onto their rosters.
There was more adversity in his second year in the NHL compared to his first, missing some early time due to an injury and then spending 17 games in the AHL to smooth out some wrinkles in his game. A lot of players might have taken that demotion harshly and not put the work in to improve. Xhekaj took it the other way, and became the rudder to right the listing ship that was the Laval Rocket. His partnership with Logan Mailloux helped turn around both of their seasons in big ways, with Mailloux adjusting to the defensive side of the game while Xhekaj rediscovered some of his offensive upside.
Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis wanted to see Xhekaj learn during his stint in the AHL, and by the end of the year it was clear the little detour in Laval paid off. Xhekaj ended up being the only blue-liner on the Habs to be on the positive side for expected-goal share last season. That helped earn him a new two-year contract with the Canadiens, giving him a window to truly solidify himself into the core of this rebuild and beyond.
While his sophomore effort had a few more stops and starts than many fans would have liked, it’s becoming very clear that the pugnacious player is maturing his game beyond being the toughest man on the ice. If he can remain healthy, his next two years might see him become a bona fide top-four NHL defender as well.
Voting
Xhekaj’s votes were clustered primarily in the mid-teens from our panel of voters, with a range from eighth to 18th. His average is nearly two points higher than Jayden Struble’s in 15th. It’s clear that the panel believes in Xhekaj like wrestling fans believe in Joe Hendry, and for good reason as he’s done nothing but improve year over year.
The majority of members feel that Xhekaj deserves to be ranked around the 12th position in the order. However, as we saw a year ago, there is a subset that values him more highly, with another peak in the voting at ninth.
Top 25 Under 25 History
| 2023: #17 | 2022: #21 |
It’s been a steady climb up the rankings from 21st, to 17th last year, and now up three more spots to 14th. As an undrafted free agent signing, breaking into the top 15 speaks to how much work he has put in since joining the Canadiens.
History of #14
| Year | #14 |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Jordan Harris |
| 2022 | Owen Beck |
| 2021 | Luke Tuch |
| 2020 | Josh Brook |
| 2019 | Jesse Ylönen |
| 2018 | Will Bitten |
| 2017 | Ryan Poehling |
| 2016 | Will Bitten |
| 2015 | Christian Thomas |
| 2014 | Martin Réway |
| 2013 | Michael McCarron |
| 2012 | Aaron Palushaj |
| 2011 | Brendan Gallagher |
| 2010 | Ben Maxwell |
Strengths
There is absolutely no one else in the Montreal Canadiens’ player pool who can do what Arber Xhekaj does when his gloves come off. He’s taken on the NHL’s previous heavyweight champion in Ryan Reaves, toppling the veteran enforcer so forcefully that Reaves spent a full news cycle complaining about it. To Xhekaj’s credit he is beginning to get more selective with his fights, realizing his usefulness on the ice outweighs him sitting in the penalty box. However, as Brennan Saulnier learned very quickly, sometimes it is best not to poke the bear and end up being ragdolled all over the ice.
However, the evolution in Xhekaj’s game has made him so much more than just the resident enforcer. Standing at 6’4″ and weighing in at 240 pounds, his mobility is outstanding as he covers ground easily while closing down opponents or carrying the puck in transition.
This became more and more prevalent in his AHL stint as fans saw him turn into a main offensive driver for the Rocket, using more of his offensive toolkit. He was unafraid to jump up into the play to make himself available as an option, then use his powerful skating to get back and cover his ground in the defensive zone. With a heavy slapshot (107.2 mph in the Habs’ skills contest), he gives a bit of a different look on the back end from players like Mike Matheson or the newly arriving Lane Hutson.
For the Rocket, he provided a fantastic power-play option, not only as a shooter, but as a distributor from the point. Even if he is opting to shoot over passing, he puts pucks into dangerous areas for deflections or for rebounds. Being able to add that at the NHL level more regularly this year, and maybe as a second-wave power-play option, would help boost the regular counting stats as well.
Much like the offensive side of his game, Xhekaj’s defensive game grew during his time in the AHL as he focused on the positioning aspects and not chasing the play as much as he did in his rookie season. His size provides him incredible range with his stick to deter opponents, and if they get past that they have to deal with the physical side of Xhekaj’s game. He is happy to ram opponents into the boards, and grind out the puck battles, while also getting a chance to rough them up a bit as well.
Weaknesses
His strength can become a weakness when not channelled correctly. He’s strong and has a reputation for being hot-headed, which makes him an easy target for teams looking for a man advantage. He can be goaded into taking retaliatory penalties, in defence of himself or his teammates. Spending that much time in the box hasn’t helped a struggling Canadiens penalty kill.
It’s admirable that Xhekaj is willing to defend every teammate when they’re being pushed around by opponents, but picking his spots better is an absolute must. Officials didn’t seem inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt in a lot of situations, and that’s unlikely to change this year. He needs to realize officials are looking for a chance to hand him a two-minute penalty to prevent his overpowering physicality from starting a brawl.
Defensively, Xhekaj has continued to improve, but there is still work to be done with relying less on using his stick and hands to fend players off if he wants to maintain his regular starting spot as more prospects arrive at the NHL level.
Far from the worst offender on the team in terms of allowing chances, Xhekaj does well to keep the net-front area clean, which is much appreciated by Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau. However, using his mobility to close down more of those chances in the low faceoff circle area would help push his numbers further toward the positive side of the chart.
The big question becomes whether he can become a steadier offensive producer without guaranteed power-play time. Matheson owns the top PP spot on defence for right now, and Lane Hutson is very likely to occupy the second wave if he wins a roster spot in camp. With Logan Mailloux also not far off from NHL duty, the window for Xhekaj to claim a role is narrow. Without that I feel that his offensive upside at the NHL level is going to be more limited.
Projection
The two-year contract extension from the Canadiens is a perfect fit for both Xhekaj and the Canadiens franchise. It’s up to him to truly stake his claim and force the hand of Kent Hughes when that next contract comes due. He is an NHL-quality player right now, but what level of NHL player can he become in the coming seasons?
His physicality and skating make him easy to slot in on any pairing, but his inability to avoid unnecessary penalties hampers him. There is no reason to doubt that he will continue to improve, and doing so would allow him to nail down a top-four role. A mountain of defensive prospects are arriving at the professional level in North America,
He’s a fan favourite; it’s been a long time since the Canadiens had someone like him in the lineup, let alone a player they helped developed inside the organization. It’s hard to believe he’s just 23 years old as he plays like a grizzled veteran in a lot of ways. This year is a huge year for him, with the Canadiens looking to pivot out of the first phase of their rebuild and field a more competitive team. He can be a massive part of that if he can continue his upward trajectory, and it’s hard to bet against him.
Arber Xhekaj with Jason Paul (@WaveIntel)
2:00 – Arber Xhekaj’s numbers at the start of last season.
8:00 – Can he handle an 82 game season?
11:30 – Best defensive partner for Xhekaj (Spoiler: it was Harris)
14:00 – Can he become a second pairing defender?
15:20 – Commercial Break (15:18)
15:25 – Future pairings?
17:10 – Trading Xhekaj for a bigger return?
19:45 – Where to improve?
21:00 – Next plateau point wise?
24:00 – What makes Jordan Harris a conversation in all trade talk (recorded before yesterday’s trade with CBJ).
