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Arber Xhekaj’s contract “is the kind to attract attention for a trade”

 David Miller
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Arber Xhekaj’s contract “is the kind to attract attention for a trade”
Credit: Capture d'écran / Screenshot
Over the past two days, Kent Hughes has been busy. After reaching agreement with his two restricted free agents in Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron yesterday, he reached agreement with Kaiden Guhle this morning.

Clearly, he’s been cooking for a few days… and the result is satisfying for many.

The three young defensemen can now focus on the upcoming training camp, where they’ll have to perform considering the congestion on the blue line. That’s a little less the case for Guhle, who has a guaranteed spot, but Xhekaj and (especially) Barron may have to fight for a regular spot.

Considering the congestion, then, we can expect to see defensemen traded sooner or later in Montreal… and in a piece for The Hockey Writers, Jim Parsons made the following assertion:

[Xhekaj’s contract] is the kind of contract that inevitably attracts attention in trade discussions. – Jim Parsons

Parsons believes that the defenseman’s new contract won’t diminish the noise surrounding a potential trade. In fact, on the contrary, he believes it will only increase the noise considering how affordable the pact is.

1.3 million a year for two years for a defenseman who will be a restricted free agent at the end of his contract, that’s on any payroll.

The question, however, is whether the Habs will be willing to trade Xhekaj. We know that the club hasn’t been willing to do so in the past(the Flames and Flyers tried their luck, without success), and we wonder whether the Habs would dare to do so now that he’s signed a new contract.

At the same time, if Maxim Lapierre is right when he believes the best is yet to come for Xhekaj, it’s a risk the Tricolore would take.

That said, there’s also a risk that comes with keeping him around too long. If he struggles this season, or if health problems bother him again, the Habs could risk losing value for the services of their defenseman.

But considering the kid’s potential and what he brings to the table, I have a hard time seeing the club trading him. Kent Hughes might get burned playing with fire… but Xhekaj is the kind of player you might bitterly regret trading. Teams will be calling, but I don’t see the Habs trading the Sheriff.


Overtime

– The Panthers won thanks to a collective effort.

– 2024-25: a year of reset in Ottawa?

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