Arber Xhekaj manages to keep his spot with Kaiden Guhle’s return

Will Kaiden Guhle be back in the Canadiens line-up tonight? Possibly.

But whether it's tonight or not, the consensus is that his return is imminent. It'll probably happen in the next few days – barring a catastrophe.

The consensus is that Adam Engstrom, who has played only two short games since the holidays, will undoubtedly make his way to Laval when #21 returns from the injured list.

But the question is, who's going to be in the stands?

Logically, we'll be right back where we were at training camp: Guhle, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, and Alexandre Carrier will be playing… and guys like Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj will be fighting for their place in the sun.

And in reality, we seem to be right back where we were in practice. Why is that? Because things are going really well for Arber Xhekaj these days.

In yesterday's win over the Flames, he played a big one. And Martin St-Louis wasn't afraid to point this out after his team's game, in a press conference.

“Xhekaj has been playing very well lately, but tonight was even better.” – MSL

– Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) January 8, 2026

Right now, the signal is coming in nicely for the one nicknamed WiFi. He's managing to do what the coach asks of a defender like him, and he's serving his club's cause.

If Guhle were to return tonight, it would be logical to see Struble skip his turn.

Guhle is the only injured player on the blue line and is progressing well in his return to action, from what we understand. Up front, Josh Anderson, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, Patrik Laine, and Alex Newhook are all banged up.

Is it possible to believe that a medical update is on the way?

in Overtime

– Aleksander Barkov back before the end of the season?

Chris Johnston: Re Aleksander Barkov: I think we're gonna see him play for the Panthers before they've played their last game this season, but it still might not come until playoff time – First Up (1/6)

– NHL Rumor Report (@NHLRumorReport) January 8, 2026

– It was time to move on.

The atmosphere around the team is happier, claims a New York daily.https://t.co/dUU9BXcpJ9

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) January 8, 2026

– Trevor Zegras and the Flyers are ready to talk contract.

David Pagnotta: Re Trevor Zegras negotiations: They've had some discussions and gone back and forth; I'm told nothing is close; they've started the process of maybe escalating the frequency of the discussions – DFO Rundown (1/7)

– NHL Rumor Report (@NHLRumorReport) January 8, 2026

– Contract: Marc-Antoine Dequoy and the Alouettes at an impasse. [LP]

– Makes sense.