The Montreal Canadiens offered about as much chaos as a season opener can have, blowing two separate leads to the Toronto Maple Leafs, en route to a 6-5 shootout loss. Though the end result may leave something to be desired, there were more positives than negatives in the game for the young Habs, chaotic though it was.
For instance, Aber Xhekaj proving that he is equal parts enforcer, and legitimate two-way defenceman.
Whatever your opinion on fighting in hockey may be, there are certain considerations a team must make when the opposition is willing to dress Ryan Reaves. For Montreal, the lone consideration of whether or not to dress Xhekaj was made incredibly easy.
This isn’t the purest of fights, and of course it could look different if it happened in open ice, but you have to respect Xhekaj holding his ground against one of the scariest men in the NHL. Moreover, his immediate and unbridled willingness, nay desire, to stick up for Kaiden Guhle after a clearly illegal hit is commendable. It went unpunished by the officials, but the Sheriff didn’t let that be the end of it.
Now, employing a player exclusively for his ability and willingness to fight Ryan Reaves would be silly, but that isn’t all Xhekaj brought to the table. He also assisted on a pivotal goal, and the Canadiens controlled over 70% of even-strength shot attempts when he was on the ice. He was a legitimately impactful player at both ends of the ice, all the while inviting any and all smoke his opponents may desire.
Some teams have to pay over a million dollars per year for talentless enforcers who impact the game exclusively with their fists. Other teams raid the stock rooms of Ontario Costco locations, looking for a unicorn who can hang with those enforcers in a fight, but also bring a lot more to the table. The Montreal Canadiens know which of those teams they want to be.
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