Florian Xhekaj, Kirby Dach, Reinbacher: Meritocracy Put to the Test

Maxime Truman
Florian Xhekaj, Kirby Dach, Reinbacher: Meritocracy Put to the Test
Credit: Getty Images

Training camp is (very short) this year. The players have only about ten days to prove to management that they deserve to start the season in Montreal.

“Yeah, but Max, there are too many one-way contracts and too many players who have to go through waivers if they're cut. The odds were stacked against them even before training camp started.”

That's where I don't buy into your “nonsense.” Martin St-Louis will be under more pressure to win than before—he himself said he'd be coaching differently because of that reality—and he has to select the best players, period. His job is to put together the team that gives him the best chance to win—that's it.

The Canadiens have reached that stage in their development.

Several members of the organization have been repeating for months that a team's culture is important. That you have to know how to establish it—and then preserve it—that culture.

In this new organizational culture in Montreal, one word comes up often: meritocracy. Players must earn their ice time and their role; they shouldn't be assigned one by default.

Furthermore—and Renaud Lavoie spoke about this before the start of the season on BPM Sports—the Canadiens must stop fielding a fourth line filled with a “ragtag group” of players who failed to crack the top nine. To win in this league, you need to be able to count on a fourth line with a clear identity: pressure, body checks, energy, and so on.

If you watched yesterday's game in Trois-Rivières and reread my opening paragraphs (posted here this morning), you've probably come to the same conclusion as I have: Florian Xhekaj needs to start the season with the big club.

More specifically: Florian Xhekaj needs to start the season on the fourth line—not in the stands—with Josh Anderson by his side. There's no point in keeping Florian in Montreal if it's just to have him munch on popcorn with the injured players in the tunnel.

Florian Xhekaj's strengths are exactly what we need to give Montreal's fourth line a real identity.

If you decide to do things your own way—and base your decisions on other players' contracts—you might as well not hold training camp at all. Or just invite your regulars to camp, while sending the rest straight to Laval!

Do you want the young players to force you to make tough decisions? Florian Xhekaj is forcing your hand right now. If you don't keep him, he'll feel he's being treated unfairly—just like Samuel Blais, who admitted he was sent down to Laval even though he was better than some forwards on the big team—and your organizational culture will take a hit.

And don't tell me Kent Hughes' hands are tied: two years ago, he placed Joel Armia on waivers and then sent him to Laval to “protect” Jesse Ylonen and Cayden Primeau.

The big question now: if Jake Evans is healthy and the team has 13 forwards ahead of Florian (contract-wise), what will Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton decide?

Kirby Dach has been extremely disappointing (again) since the start of camp, and he doesn't seem to feel any urgency to step up. Yet he was able to enjoy a normal summer of training for once, since he wasn't in rehab for anything.

If he had agreed to sign his qualifying offer (a two-part deal), Kirby Dach might be getting ready to take the subway to Laval. Although he'd still have to go through waivers because of the games he's played since the start of his career…

One thing is certain: Florian Xhekaj has been putting in more effort than Kirby Dach over the past week. If Dach is in the lineup next week and Florian is in Laval, we might as well throw the principle of meritocracy in the trash.

Some have already dismissed him out of hand, but I dare say they're on the wrong track.

I know and I understand: seasons are long—especially with 84 games now—and Florian Xhekaj will be called up sooner rather than later depending on injuries. The fact remains, however, that if you cut Florian while keeping Kirby Dach in the city, you're sending a very bad message to all the other players. And you're demotivating a player who will be important down the line.

It's worth noting that if Jake Evans gets injured, Florian Xhekaj should start the season in Montreal. Especially since he can play center…

We'll send either Kirby Dach or Zachary Bolduc (who doesn't play like a guy who just hit the jackpot) to the stands.

David Reinbacher has (finally) earned his spot

Analysts and fans are unanimous: David Reinbacher is having a good enough camp to start the season in Montreal. He promised to play well against the Maple Leafs last weekend, and he did.

And he complemented young Lane Hutson perfectly yesterday in Trois-Rivières. Lane Hutson, in fact, had very kind words for his teammate after the game.

Kent Hughes even admitted that some guys called him over the summer to tell him that David Reinbacher was playing well in Brossard.

With Kaiden Guhle sidelined, it seems obvious to me that Reinbacher will start the season with the Habs. The only other right-handed defensemen in town are Noah Dobson and Alexandre Carrier… and Carrier might miss the start of the season.

Is Reinbacher simply benefiting from favorable circumstances, or is he becoming the defenseman management saw in him before drafting him fifth overall? The next few weeks will tell.

We'll just have to make sure that the Xhekaj–Struble pairing isn't as bad as it was yesterday (against a weak team, no less) once the season gets underway.

Before I wrap up, let me add this: Owen Beck has been invisible since the start of training camp. He, too, doesn't seem to sense the urgency of the situation…


Overtime

Marc-Olivier Beaudoin had some fun putting together his forward lines and defensive pairs for Game #1. Here they are:

I agree with his defensive pairings, and I also think Samuel Montembeault should be traded before the season starts.

However, I'd keep Kapanen between Slafkovsky and Demidov, and my extra forward against the Maple Leafs would be either Zachary Bolduc or Alexandre Texier.

I'd also send Kirby Dach elsewhere, even though his value is low.

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