Hockey

Arber Xhekaj: “It’s the end of his career in Montreal”
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Arber Xhekaj: “It’s the end of his career in Montreal”
Credit: Getty Images

Arber Xhekaj hasn't been a shadow of his former self since… er…

It's a good question, really: how long has the Sheriff (who doesn't go by that nickname, according to Martin St-Louis) not been himself on the ice?

Quite a while.

The #72 has flashes (like at practice), but in general, the big defenseman is having trouble finding the defenseman he can or should be.

Is this the fault of the coach, who never seemed to be the president of his fan club? Some think so.

Yesterday was no exception. Is Xhekaj confused by his club about his role as strongman? He's fighting less and less… and less and less well.

Yesterday, he refused to dance with Kurtis MacDermid. And in Gilbert Delorme's eyes, this is the last straw for Xhekaj, as he doesn't see how he can continue like this in Montreal.

It's true that WiFi was solid on his skates when the Sens player stepped forward to tackle him. And it's also true that Xhekaj didn't necessarily benefit from fighting at that point.

But maybe that's the problem: he's having fewer and fewer moments to shine.

In reality, the situation isn't easy at the moment, as we can sense that the defenseman is in a situation that isn't obvious for the future.

He was the first to give way to Adam Engstrom recently, and he must feel he has no room for error… playing hockey that isn't 100% in his nature.

The Habs don't seem to be focusing on his qualities or accepting his shortcomings on the ice as a defenseman. And with the surplus of guys on the blue line in the organization, a deal is definitely possible in my eyes.

To be continued.


overtime

– The Jets could look like this tonight.

– Interesting.

– Ah well.

– Who's going to the Olympics?

– Normal.

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