Florian Xhekaj: He Could Face the Same Fate as His Brother

Michaël Petit
Florian Xhekaj: He Could Face the Same Fate as His Brother
Credit: Capture d'écran | Twitter TSN

When will the Xhekaj brothers make their regular-season debut with the Montreal Canadiens?

Florian Xhekaj is certainly impressing at training camp, and many are wondering if he should make the team.

In my opinion, it's a resounding yes. How long has the Habs been looking for this type of player?

Clearly, he's taken a big step forward since last year, and he'd fill the Habs' need for grit and intensity on the bottom six.

Anthony Marcotte feels the same way, but he remains very skeptical that the Habs will use him regularly—just like Arber Xhekaj, who finds himself on the bench even when he doesn't necessarily deserve it.

If Martin St-Louis doesn't seem to be the biggest fan of Arber Xhekaj, why would he be a bigger fan of his younger brother?

Even though Florian is a forward, both play a relatively similar style based on intimidation and physical play.

Florian finds himself in the penalty box very often, just like Arber, and that's what leads Marcotte to believe that Martin St-Louis might have the same fate in store for Florian as he did for Arber.

Obviously, Arber isn't perfect, but he's not the only one who makes mistakes or ends up in the penalty box—yet all too often, he's the one who gets penalized, not the others.

Florian isn't just a goon, either. He does have some talent. He can score goals, and as Anthony Martineau pointed out today, he can certainly win faceoffs, as seen in this video where he goes up against Oliver Kapanen.

It's hard to tell a coach to play a player who seems to be a target for the referees and who often ends up in the penalty box. Nevertheless, the fact that Arber is in uniform gives the other players a lot of confidence, and Florian could take it up a notch.

The Habs would never be intimidated again. The Canadiens could become the Big Bad Habs.


In a Nutshell

– Note.

– What a shot!

– The Canucks will likely have to absorb part of his salary to get a good return.

– Well, then.

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