According to one source a confrontation between Arber Xhekaj and head coach Martin St. Louis is partially to blame. The source says that Xhekaj was playing too aggressively and got ripped into by St. Louis. Since this time Xhekaj's play has taken a significant step back.
This move has called the future of Arber Xhekaj into question. The 22-year-old will have a lot to prove heading down to the AHL.
With this demotion, it will mark the first time that Xhekaj will spend in the AHL. Many fans and media have wanted Xhekaj to get some AHL experience at some point. With the main concern from the Montreal staff being Xhekaj's aggressiveness where does that leave his future with the team?
Xhekaj is an aggressive, physically involved player on the ice. This is what the entire foundation of his game relies on. His offensive tools are at a minimum at the NHL level. With this demotion, Xhekaj could have an opportunity to develop that side of the game. If he doesn't though he largely remains a player who relies on aggressiveness and physicality.
With other defensemen making their way up through the pipeline it could be difficult for Arber Xhekaj to find his way back up. If he struggles to find his game at the AHL level again a change of scenery could be in order. Plenty of teams would be willing to pay for a young physical presence on the blue line.
POLL | ||
DÉCEMBRE 4 | 137 ANSWERS MAJOR: The Shocking Reason Arber Xhekaj Was Sent Down Emerges Should the Montreal Canadiens trade Arber Xhekaj? | ||
Yes | 63 | 46 % |
No | 74 | 54 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Patrik Laine | 3 | - | 3 | |
Nick Paul | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Mark Scheifele | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Teuvo Teravainen | - | 3 | 3 | |
Gabriel Vilardi | - | 3 | 3 | |
Kyle Connor | 2 | - | 2 | |
Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Macklin Celebrini | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Jake Guentzel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Elias Lindholm | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Ilya Mikheyev | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Rickard Rakell | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Juraj Slafkovsky | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Tyler Toffoli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Michael Bunting | - | 2 | 2 | |
Cole Caufield | - | 2 | 2 | |
Filip Forsberg | - | 2 | 2 | |
Vladislav Gavrikov | - | 2 | 2 | |
Shayne Gostisbehere | - | 2 | 2 | |
Jack Hughes | - | 2 | 2 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 33 | 23 | 9 | 1 | 47 | |
Devils | 34 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 45 | |
Capitals | 31 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 44 | |
Wild | 31 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 44 | |
Golden Knights | 31 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 43 | |
Hurricanes | 31 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 41 | |
Maple Leafs | 31 | 19 | 10 | 2 | 40 | |
Kings | 31 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 40 | |
Panthers | 32 | 19 | 11 | 2 | 40 | |
Stars | 30 | 19 | 11 | - | 38 | |
Conference | Cumulative |