Major trade involving Arber Xhekaj: it could pay off big for the Montreal Canadiens
The discussion between Anthony Marcotte and Marc-Olivier Beaudoin revolves around the increasing trade rumors regarding Arber Xhekaj since his demotion to Laval. The question at hand is whether trading him could yield similar benefits to the Alexander Romanov situation.
Here is the translated discussion:
- Anthony Desaulniers: "In my mind, no GM will call Kent Hughes to offer such a return, but I'm still curious to know your opinion. Would you let Xhekaj go if a GM offers a first-round pick?"
- Anthony Marcotte: "There's no point in answering that because I don't see any valid reason to include him in a trade now. We're talking about a young player in full development, and we want to do the same thing with his little brother on top of that."
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin: "A valid reason would be the depth among left-handed defensemen in the organization. Matheson, Guhle, Harris, Struble, Xhekaj. Hutson and Engstrom are coming. Maybe even Norlinder and Trudeau. Decisions will have to be made! If Xhekaj can bring in a lot..."
- Anthony Marcotte: "For me, the depth with what has happened in terms of injuries for the past 3 years... It's not normal that Xhekaj, Harris, or Struble had regular roles so early in their careers. That's the problem. They're not even close to maturity."
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin: "I agree with that, but KH still has to deal with the current reality. He will quickly have a surplus of defensemen, so if he can capitalize on the value of one of the young ones sooner rather than later, so much the better. Everyone liked Romanov, but in the end, we don't talk about him anymore!"
- Anthony Marcotte: "As long as they haven't arrived, they remain suspects in my eyes. Even Hutson!"
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin: "But Xhekaj is a 6th defenseman, and I doubt he is more than a 3rd pair defenseman eventually. I love his style, but the upside is limited nonetheless. If someone offers a first-round pick for a 6th defenseman, for me, it's a no-brainer!"
- Anthony Marcotte: "To win in hockey, you need a mix of everything. It's not for nothing that the Rocket has struggled so much since the beginning of the season. Too many offensively inclined defensemen, too many lefties as well. Xhekaj is completely different from all the others."
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin: "I'm not saying I don't want 'grit' on the Habs. But in my opinion, it's still easier to find 'grit' than raw talent (which a first-round pick could provide - either by selecting or trading for a player like Dach/Newhook)."
- Anthony Marcotte: "There's no point in answering that because I don't see any valid reason to include him in a trade now. We're talking about a young player in full development, and we want to do the same thing with his little brother on top of that."
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin: "A valid reason would be the depth among left-handed defensemen in the organization. Matheson, Guhle, Harris, Struble, Xhekaj. Hutson and Engstrom are coming. Maybe even Norlinder and Trudeau. Decisions will have to be made! If Xhekaj can bring in a lot..."
- Anthony Marcotte: "For me, the depth with what has happened in terms of injuries for the past 3 years... It's not normal that Xhekaj, Harris, or Struble had regular roles so early in their careers. That's the problem. They're not even close to maturity."
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin: "I agree with that, but KH still has to deal with the current reality. He will quickly have a surplus of defensemen, so if he can capitalize on the value of one of the young ones sooner rather than later, so much the better. Everyone liked Romanov, but in the end, we don't talk about him anymore!"
- Anthony Marcotte: "As long as they haven't arrived, they remain suspects in my eyes. Even Hutson!"
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin: "But Xhekaj is a 6th defenseman, and I doubt he is more than a 3rd pair defenseman eventually. I love his style, but the upside is limited nonetheless. If someone offers a first-round pick for a 6th defenseman, for me, it's a no-brainer!"
- Anthony Marcotte: "To win in hockey, you need a mix of everything. It's not for nothing that the Rocket has struggled so much since the beginning of the season. Too many offensively inclined defensemen, too many lefties as well. Xhekaj is completely different from all the others."
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin: "I'm not saying I don't want 'grit' on the Habs. But in my opinion, it's still easier to find 'grit' than raw talent (which a first-round pick could provide - either by selecting or trading for a player like Dach/Newhook)."
It's a highly interesting discussion between the two individuals. If Kent Hughes could indeed receive a first-round pick for Xhekaj, would you accept this trade?
| POLL | ||
Arber Xhekaj for a first-round pick or a top prospect, would you do it? | ||
| Yes | 144 | 33.4 % |
| No | 287 | 66.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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