Arber Xhekaj missed the last two optional practices

Marc-Olivier Cook
Arber Xhekaj missed the last two optional practices
Credit: YouTube/capture d'écran

This morning, the Canadiens held an optional practice in Brossard.

Twelve players from the team decided to take to the ice.

Oliver Kapanen, Juraj Slafkovsky, Jake Evans, Jayden Struble, Adam Engstrom, Lane Hutson, Alexandre Carrier, Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, and Alexandre Texier (as well as both goaltenders) were there. So there were a few absentees.

Among the players who didn't show up on the ice are (notably) Arber and Xhekaj.

For the Sheriff, this marks the second optional practice in a row that he's missed. He decided not to take the ice yesterday (probably because he had a game that night) and made the same decision today. 

But that… got me thinking.

There are two possible theories regarding Arber:

1. He might be hiding a minor injury, which would explain why he's choosing to rest his body whenever he can. Optional practices are meant for that, and players who don't practice on the ice often do off-ice training instead.

2. The defenseman has missed the last two optional practices… because he feels he's ready to play. Kind of like Gavin McKenna did in his final days in Toronto—which caused a huge stir in the City of Queen.

If Arber is banged up, I have no problem with him resting and avoiding making the situation worse.

But… if Arber is indeed healthy and isn't bothered by a nagging injury, it would have been fun to see him on the ice this morning in Brossard. He has a spot to earn, and the other defensemen competing with him (Engstrom and Struble) are putting in the extra effort.

They were there yesterday and today, unlike the Sheriff, after all. And even though yesterday was a game day, we also saw Engstrom (who played yesterday) jump onto the ice this morning to work on a few things.

Arber Xhekaj played well yesterday—and you have to give him credit when that happens—but… his spot in the lineup isn't guaranteed either. And he might not have the luxury of taking it easy right now, with Struble and Engstrom coming on strong. 

Let's hope that's not the case, at least. 


In a nutshell

– Absolutely.

– Phew.

– Great news in Edmonton.

– I love the look.

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