Martin St-Louis and Kent Hughes give Arber Xhekaj new role

Arber Xhekaj has only played two seasons in the NHL, but he is already considered a leader by Martin St-Louis and Kent Hughes.

At just 23 years old, Xhekaj is set to begin his third season with the assurance of staying in Montreal, which is great news. Unless he goes through waivers, which would be catastrophic, he won't be sent to Laval or another organization.

I say it would be catastrophic because it's certain that the eldest of the Xhekaj brothers would be claimed off waivers, but I'm confident it won't happen.

The reason is quite simple: Arber Xhekaj is highly valued and respected within the organization, to the point that he will be given new leadership roles starting now.

Apart from David Savard and Michael Matheson, he is the oldest defenseman on the team, so he will be expected to play a mentoring role for the likes of Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, and David Reinbacher, among others.

He possesses all the qualities needed to support the young players well, even though he was on par with Logan Mailloux last year in Laval before his call-up.

In short, Arber Xhekaj is a leader on the ice and in the locker room, and I believe he will wear a letter on his jersey with the Canadiens in the very near future.

Source: The Montreal GazetteStu Cowan: Arber Xhekaj should be an inspiration for Canadiens rookies

Credit: Rumeurs de TransactionUn tout nouveau rôle pour Arber Xhekaj avec les Canadiens de Montréal

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