The Montreal Canadiens are looking to repeat a playoff berth this season. One impediment was the defense group. However, by extending Jayden Struble and adding Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders to the mix, they have a good group of players on paper.
However, the likes of Struble, Mike Matheson, and Arber Xhekaj are fighting for the sixth position on the blueline. One Canadiens analyst has suggested turning one of those players into a forward.
Canadiens’ Arber Xhekaj Could Be a Great Forward
While the Canadiens need to sort out their second-line center issue, they need to determine what to do with Xhekaj.
Analyst Brian Wilde made an appearance on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro on Wednesday, August 6th. The duo discussed the prospect of turning Xhekaj into a forward at the NHL level.
“I would very much consider putting Arber Xhekaj as a winger in the National Hockey League,” Wilde said to Marinaro. “It happens often,” Marinaro responded, with the two citing Brent Burns and Dustin Byfuglien as examples of defencemen who have been utilized as forwards by their respective teams.
“Big guys, dominant in front of the net, dominant in the corners,” Wilde continued. “They may not be wary on how to take the puck off the boards on the wrap-around defensively, but that’s a skill they can learn.”
“If Struble becomes the six (D) and he becomes a winger, that doesn’t bother me at all.”
Canadiens Have a Better Defender With Struble
Xhekaj has a mean streak about him. The 6-foot-4, 240 lb defender already has 22 fights in 165 NHL games played. The undrafted 24-year-old has also racked up 300 penalty minutes while averaging 15:10 of time on ice.
With Matheson and Struble already battling for the final position on the blueline, moving Xhekaj to the wing would alleviate the pressure for the Canadiens to trade one of their defenders.
According to PuckIQ, Struble is outperforming Xhekaj in Dangerous Fenwick For percentage (DFF%), and DFF% against Elites. DFF% is similar to Corsi for percentage. The major difference is that with DFF%, each shot is given a “danger value” based on the location, shot type, and distance.
Struble had the superior DFF% with 55.8 to Xhekaj’s 46.1. Against the top players of opposing teams (a.k.a “elites”), Struble has the upper hand again with a 55.1 percent to Xhekaj’s 48.2 percent.
Other NHLers with a similar DFF% to Struble are: Vladislav Gavrikov, Cale Makar, Jaccob Slavin, Dmitri Orlov, and Brett Kulak. That is more than enough of a reason to suggest that Struble has a bright future as a top-six defender in the NHL.
Xhekaj Can Help in Other Ways
Having the physical tools to be a punishing winger could be a massive benefit to the Canadiens.
The Canadiens don’t have any players who recorded over 200 hits last season. Juraj Slavkovsky and Xhekaj are the only two players who got close. While having players who can play physically isn’t a prerequisite for success, both the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers had a player in the top 30 for hits (AJ Greer and Vasily Podkolzin, respectively). Both teams faced each other in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season.
By easing Xhekaj’s defensive responsibilities, he can become a dominant, physical force on the Canadiens’ fourth line.
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