Another year, another battle between Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble for a role on the Montreal Canadiens' third pairing. Both blueliners saw a lot of action last year thanks to injuries suffered by other members of the defense corps. Stuble skated in 56 games (just like the previous year) and Xhekaj took part in 70 games (more than he had ever played in a season); the former finished the regular season in the lineup, while the latter reintegrated the lineup for the playoffs.
They’re not particularly young anymore. Struble is about to turn 25, Xhekaj will in January, and they’ve both matured a lot playing-wise. It’s been clear since before the start of camp that Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, Mike Matheson, Noah Dobson, and Alex Carrier all have their chair reserved, which leaves just one spot for the other two.
Canadiens: Habs Nation – A Book Review
Canadiens: The Remaining Question Mark
Canadiens Prospect Has Big KHL Debut
Stuble hasn’t had a bad training camp, but Xhekaj turned up at camp in much better shape. He’s still as heavy as he was, but the baby fat is gone, and it’s now all muscle. It shows on the ice that he skates faster, and his mobility has improved.
Much like Juraj Slafkovsky knows he needs to play a good physical game to be effective, Xhekaj knows that he needs to pick his moments on the ice. He needs to play the game that’s in front of him, despite the constant temptation of chasing that one big hit or of dropping the gloves. What the Canadiens have on their hands right now is a leaner and wiser Xhekaj. He doesn’t need to be meaner; he has always been mean enough.
Since the start of camp, Xhekaj is the one who has taken the spotlight, be it because of that one game in which both he and his brother played and scored, or because of the hard hits he’s able to land. On Saturday night in Toronto, he was playing alongside Carrier once again, as he has since the start of camp, whether in preseason games or scrimmages. Furthermore, Xhekaj also had an A on his jersey.
At a time when Martin St-Louis says his team needs some grit and sandpaper, Xhekaj is the logical choice. The Canadiens need to commit to Xhekaj because if they don’t and he lands somewhere else, he will hurt them. Perhaps not on the scoreboard, but physically. The Canadiens have long sought toughness in their lineup, and now that they have it, they shouldn’t be afraid of it.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.