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Arber Xhekaj admits it: he plays better because he keeps things simple.

 Marc-Olivier Cook
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Arber Xhekaj admits it: he plays better because he keeps things simple.
Credit: Getty Images
When things were going poorly for Arber Xhekaj, we talked about it.

That said, we also need to talk about his good moments. And recently, things have been going really well for the Canadiens’ defender.

He has been playing well for a few games now, and that deserves recognition!

What has changed in the Sheriff’s mentality?

He appeared on TSN 690 earlier today, and there was one phrase that caught my attention.

It is this one:

You don’t need to stand out, you don’t need to do anything crazy.

You keep it simple and just defend. – Arber Xhekaj

Xhekaj has understood that he doesn’t necessarily need to make a big play or deliver a solid check to be useful on the ice, and I find that particularly interesting.

This is part of the learning process, you might say, but it indicates that the defender is gaining maturity:

The defender admits he doesn’t know where the ceiling of his potential is… But to me, that’s not important.

Because as long as he continues to behave well on the ice, he will improve.

Let’s also note that Xhekaj took advantage of his radio appearance to praise the physical qualities of Emil Heineman.

The latter – to quote the Sheriff – fears nothing… And in the last game against the Ducks, Heineman even dared to bother Radko Gudas.

We know that Gudas is not a small guy and that he doesn’t hesitate before dropping the gloves:

We knew that Arber Xhekaj was a project and that he wouldn’t become excellent overnight.

But we can clearly see his progress at the moment because the defender, without making too much noise, is starting to become an important element in Martin St-Louis’ lineup.

Good for him. Especially if it can continue like this!


In Brief

– Amazing.

– I can’t wait to see that…

– Makes sense.

– Things might get heated in New York.

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