Major announcement on Arber Xhekaj: We have a clue about the identity of the player who will be sent to Laval upon his return
We talked about it this morning � Arber Xhekaj could be removed from the injured list and return to play as early as Wednesday in Columbus. The Canadiens might decide to keep him fresh for the Thursday and Saturday games at the Bell Centre.
At least, that's what Renaud Lavoie mentioned. Without expressing his personal opinion, he heard that the towering defenseman could be back this week.
With 23 players currently on the roster, Xhekaj's return will force Kent Hughes to make a personnel move. Joel Armia was recalled during the West Coast trip but had not yet practiced with his teammates.
For today's practice, he was among the 23 players. Hughes will have a choice between him, Jayden Struble, or Mattias Norlinder to send down to Laval.
Considering that Struble has been solid with the Canadiens, Norlinder needs playing time, and the possibility of Armia taking the place of Pezzetta or Ylonen, who play no more than 6-7 minutes per game, we have a good clue that Norlinder might be sent down.
It's not confirmed, and the Canadiens are unlikely to make an announcement before tomorrow or Wednesday if Xhekaj returns to play. However, all signs point in that direction.
| POLL | ||
Do you believe the Canadiens should give Norlinder a game before sending him down to Laval? | ||
| Yes | 131 | 78 % |
| No | 37 | 22 % |
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