The Montreal Canadiens have a plethora of defenseman and could look to trade one of them.
Mike Matheson, Jayden Struble, and Arber Xhekaj’s names have all come up in rumors. Yet, Canadiens’ analyst Brian Wilde doesn’t think Montreal would trade Xhekaj, who is a fan-favorite.
Part of the reason why Wilde doesn’t think Xhekaj will be moved is due to the price to acquire him. Wilde calls Xhekaj a ‘unicorn’ and believes it would cost a first-round pick to acquire.
“I’m going to say the market for him is a second-round draft choice,” Wilde said on The Sick Podcast. “But, they are not trading him, because he’s a unicorn… A first-round draft pick would be the only thing they would take, to lose him. They don’t need more second-rounders. They showed you that they don’t need more draft picks. I can’t see him being traded. I think the organization loves him, I think they would also be recognized as making an unpopular move if they did that.”
Wilde says he’d be shocked if the Canadiens trade Xhekaj, as he believes he’s too crucial to the team’s success. The analyst believes the way he plays and being a fan-favorite would be hard to move on from, unless a first-round pick is coming back.
Xhekaj signed with the Canadiens as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He’s entering the final year of his two-year, $2.6 million deal and will be an RFA at the end of the contract.
Canadiens Coach Praises Xhekaj
Xhekaj has become a fan-favorite in Montreal due to his willingness to fight and hit.
However, Canadiens’ head coach Martin St. Louis made it clear that Xhekaj does more than fight. Instead, he praised the young defenseman
“He’s come along way. He can do way more than just fight,” St. Louis said on Missin’ Curfew on June 13. “They call him the Sheriff in Montreal. He’s very good at that, but there are a lot of other things he’s very good at as well. I think as a defenseman, especially a young defenseman, the hardest part in the league is just defending. Defending in short space, reading the rush.
“You forget that he’s still very young and that’s gonna keep improving. He’s got a nice package—alone without his toughness, and obviously, he can fight. But take that out of the equation, he’s still a very young, promising defenseman,” St. Louis added.
It was high praise for Xhekaj from his head coach. The 24-year-old will be in a competition for a third-pairing role with the Canadiens this training camp.
Xhekaj’s Name Came up in Trade Rumors
Given that Xhekaj doesn’t have a clear path to playing time, his name has come up in trade rumors.
Montreal has an excess of defenseman, and NHL insider Eric Engels expects the Canadiens to move on from one of Matheson, Struble, or Xhekaj.
“Between those three guys, right you have, Matheson, Struble, and Xhekaj, there’s a good chance that between now and this time next year, one of those guys is not here,” Engels said on The Sick Podcast.
Xhekaj recorded 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 points in 70 games last season.
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