Owen Beck deserves to play for a top-tier club much more than Florian Xhekaj

Michaël Petit
Owen Beck deserves to play for a top-tier club much more than Florian Xhekaj
Credit: X / Canadiens

The big question as the Montreal Canadiens' training camp approaches is: Who will make the team?

Of course, one might wonder if any young players will break into the lineup by the start of the season.

On defense, we'll be keeping a close eye on David Reinbacher and, to a lesser extent, Adam Engstrom, while on offense, Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj could very well earn spots on the roster after the preseason.

Grant McCagg discussed Florian and Beck by breaking down both players' statistics and reached a conclusion.

In his view, Owen Beck has a slight edge over the younger of the Xhekaj brothers.

When you look at the players' stats, there's no doubt that Beck is ahead of Xhekaj in the pecking order.

As McCagg briefly points out in his latest episode of HabsCast, Beck has a much better points-per-game average than Xhekaj, both in junior hockey and in the AHL.

Plus, Beck steps up in the clutch. We saw him be the Rocket's best player in the playoffs last spring.

Florian has a better goals-per-game average in the AHL, but aside from his ability to score goals and play physically, Beck is far superior.

Beck is a natural center. He's very good defensively for a number of reasons.

First, he's strong at the faceoff circle, has excellent positioning, and anticipates plays very well, in addition to using his stick effectively on defense.

In addition, he has excellent skating ability, which allows him to get back quickly.

Xhekaj lacks all of that.

He can drop the gloves and throw checks, which isn't bad for an energy player on the fourth line.

Right now, he's simply not ready for the NHL, whereas Beck is.

I could see him on the fourth line for the first game of the 2026–27 season, and I personally believe that Alexandre Texier will be sent down and serve as the 13th forward. That's not a bad thing either, because if the Habs need more offense, Texier can rejoin the lineup and help out in that area.

However, the Habs' 18th-place finish last year in penalty-kill efficiency tells me that adding Beck would be a very logical move.


In a Nutshell

– High praise for the Habs' prospects.

– That makes sense.

– Unbelievable.

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