The Montreal Canadiens are finally back in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2021 and for the first time under Martin St-Louis. But if there’s one thing that’s always been true in the playoffs and will always be true, it’s how the physicality gets turned up a notch. So much so, that one can wonder if the coach isn’t making a mistake by not dressing blueliner Arber Xhekaj.

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The eldest Xhekaj struggled to establish himself in the lineup early this season, but he eventually did it and became a mainstay on defense. However, when Kaiden Guhle went down to injury,  Jayden Struble was given a chance to come back in the fold and he seized it with both hands.

When Guhle was ready to return, the coach faced a tough decision, which he was able to delay because David Savard was dealing with an ailment. Eventually, however, he had to make a choice, and the last game before he needed to make it, Arber Xhekaj made a bad read and got himself out of a play, committing to an unnecessary hit rather than covering his man.

The mistake didn’t go unnoticed, and Xhekaj was scratched for the following game and every game since then. To use one of the coach’s sayings, the blueliner “paid cash” for his mistake, missing the team’s last five games.

Now that the Canadiens are on the verge of renewing with playoff action, it’s hard not to think they could use the gritty blueliner’s physicality. Xhekaj is second in hits on the team with 180, behind Juraj Slafkovsky, who has 194, but the big Slovak played nine more games. He also leads the team in penalty minutes with 118 on the season, 28 minutes more than Josh Anderson.

Considering the Washington Capitals have Tom Wilson in their ranks, it seems like Xhekaj’s gritty play could be more than helpful in what promises to be a tough series. The five-game sentence he served was enough to teach him a lesson. His simple presence can often be enough to keep other teams in check.

As this young team returns to the playoffs, the players need to learn to deal with the pressure of the postseason, and this includes Xhekaj. David Savard is retiring at the end of this playoff; those who will remain need the experience.

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