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“In my opinion, Arber Xhekaj wouldn’t make the top-6 of a top team”

 Christopher Brown
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“In my opinion, Arber Xhekaj wouldn’t make the top-6 of a top team”
Credit: Getty Images
Arber Xhekaj had a very eventful camp.

He’s been in a few fights, twice had a preseason game ruled out, and is generously handing out body checks.

His physical usefulness is well known, but in the last game he showed great things offensively and defensively.

When you see this version of the taller Xhekaj brother, it’s easy to see why he’d be a great addition to a top-6 defense.

Richard Labbé, on the other hand, thinks the opposite.

Labbé appeared on BPM Sports this Sunday, on Le Tailgate Weekend, with Greg Lanctot.

Labbé said that Arber Xhekaj wouldn’t make a top-6 defensive player for a top team.

He went on to say that Lane Hutson, for all his offensive prowess, wouldn’t make a top-4 on an aspiring team.

As much for Hutson as for Xhekaj, I don’t agree with what Richard Labbé said.

Even if Hutson isn’t a stud defensively, his offensive contribution more than makes up for it.

In any case, we wouldn’t ask a purely offensive defender to be good defensively, even if it would be a very nice asset.

Not to mention the fact that defensemen who move the puck well and are as agile on skates as Hutson are hard to find.

And it takes a defenseman like him on a team to get the offense going.

As for Xhekaj, he’s not just a physical defenseman, although he excels at that.

He’s had his shortcomings defensively in the past, but has shown great promise since his move to Laval last year.

What’s more, he’s known to have a very powerful shot, and he can deceive opposing goalies with it.

And he’s quite mobile for a colossus of his size.

It’s rare to find a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenseman who can terrorize his opponents, and who can both support the attack and defend his territory.

In short, defensemen like Xhekaj or Hutson can break into any lineup, even if some are more than well-endowed on the blue line.

I even think that some contending teams might make room in their line-ups to add Xhekaj or Hutson, who are also still very young.


Overtime

– Djibril Touré took care of Cédric Paré in a violent fight.

– A fine goal in sight for Fleury tonight.

– Many will recognize themselves in this situation.

– Amazing.

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