Montreal Canadiens: Pascal Vincent speaks with Florian Xhekaj about his future in the NHL

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Greg Wilson
October 28, 2024 (8:42 PM)

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There have been serious development gaps in the Canadiens organization for a very long time, and Logan Mailloux confirmed to us that this was still the case.

At least, this was the case until last year, when the defenseman admitted that he had never played the hybrid defensive style practiced by Martin St-Louis, a style that was there last year.

For a top prospect like Mailloux not to know the Canadiens system is a serious problem. Imagine how difficult it must be to ensure the proper development of a player when the AHL, which is a development league, does not play the same style of play as the NHL in the same organization.

This is a serious problem that seems to have been addressed with the hiring of Pascal Vincent. I understand that everyone wants to win, but the Laval Rocket's primary goal is to prepare future Canadiens players.

Speaking of the Rocket coach, he made a solid statement about Florian Xhekaj, which leads us to believe that communication is great between him and the Canadiens.

Both teams work together to develop players, something that was clearly not the case in the past.

"I suggested to the organization that we continue to develop him at center. Because if you develop him as such and he ends up as a winger, he will at least have that background to get by at center. In Winnipeg, I had Adam Lowry. We developed him at center; a big, reliable defensive player who can create a little offense while bringing a physical style. I see Xhekaj a bit like that, and to play center, you need a good computer. And I think he has it. [...]"

- Pascal Vincent, via Habs On Reddit

So we see that the goal is to train Xhekaj at center. His talent is recognized in the organization. He's not just a goon, just like his brother.