Arber Xhekaj: teams called, but the Habs said no

When Arber Xhekaj was traded to the Rocket, people were shocked, and rightly so.

After all, the guy didn’t play badly up top and all the fans love him.

There are certain games where we’d like to have him in Montreal, but the Sheriff doesn’t do badly under Jean-François Houle. On the contrary…

That AHL WiFi signal is still STRONG

Arber Xhekaj was letting me’ fly (via @RocketLaval) pic.twitter.com/8koTY6kKDn

– B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 20, 2024

Teams think Montreal has “given up” on him, and are taking advantage of the situation to make calls to Kent Hughes.

Teams are exploring the possibility of acquiring him, but according to Elliotte Friedman, the Habs don’t want anything to do with the situation. The team’s answer is a clear “no”.

A Victoria, BC edition of Saturday Headlines with @FriedgeHNIC @Scotiabank | #HockeyDay pic.twitter.com/HTCg0NcvdK

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 21, 2024

Mathias Brunet believes he could bring back a first-round pick, but Hughes and management clearly don’t want to send him elsewhere.

Anyway. Is a recall on the horizon? After all, Jayden Struble’s star has dimmed a bit (although he’s still doing well) and Jordan Harris and Justin Barron are having tougher games lately.

Extension

In 17 games with Laval, Xhekaj has 11 points, including three goals.

He’s not the most offensive defenseman, but with a lot of playing time, his mobility and excellent wrist shot are something we haven’t necessarily seen much of up top with the Habs.