"Arber Xhekaj is not part of the Montreal Canadiens' future plans"
The rumors about Arber Xhekaj are quite something, but now it's downright insulting. Jean-Charles Lajoie and Tony Marinaro agree that the sheriff is only passing through the Canadiens, that he doesn't have a place on the team. As if nobody wanted him in Montreal.
What plan? To develop him and trade him later? Arber is playing very good hockey right now, and Martin St-Louis is happy with his work; he gives him more responsibilities.
I disagree with this statement. To echo the coach's words, Xhekaj falls into the category of players who "take care of the team." He defends his teammates and always sacrifices himself for the guys.
On the contrary, he is exactly the type of player that Martin St-Louis likes, and we are finally starting to see a nice progression in his game. Moreover, the Canadiens would not have selected his brother Florian in the 4th round when nobody saw him there if the plan was to trade the elder.
I'm not saying he won't be traded. We have to remain realistic; there is a lot of depth on the left side of the defense in the Canadiens' organization, but to say that the plan is all laid out and that he will surely be traded, I don't think so.
That said, if Kent Hughes has the chance to get a top 6 quality forward by sacrificing Xhekaj, I believe he should do it. I love the sheriff, like most fans, but the Canadiens have a glaring need for offense.
| POLL | ||
According to you, is Arber Xhekaj part of the Canadiens' long-term plans? | ||
| Yes | 566 | 84.9 % |
| No | 101 | 15.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
