Arber Xhekaj didn't file for arbitration before the July 5 deadline, meaning that he can still receive an offer sheet from another team.
While Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach elected to file for arbitration before the 5 PM deadline on Sunday, defenseman Arber Xhekaj chose not to. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenseman is therefore still eligible to receive an offer sheet from another team.
The rugged defenseman’s last contract was a two-year pact with a $1.3 million cap hit, and his situation hasn’t improved much since he signed it in 2024 with GM Kent Hughes. He was in the lineup for 65 games last season, picking up a goal and three assists for a total of four points, was assessed 116 penalty minutes and led the team in hits with 178, eight more than Zachary Bolduc.
While Xhekaj brings a physical element to the game that no other defenseman on the Habs roster can match, bench boss Martin St-Louis struggles to trust him on the ice, and his average ice time was an all-time low last season at just 11:25, a decrease for the second consecutive season. In 2022-23, he averaged 15:16 of action; in 2023-24, 15:56; and in 2024-25, 14:47. In the playoffs, he was only used in 13 games and averaged 8:06 of action. In his last game, against the Buffalo Sabres, he was on the ice for only 1:52.
Taking all this into account, it’s hardly surprising that the supersized defenseman elected not to go to arbitration. He doesn’t have much leverage, and, in truth, he might be better off receiving an offer sheet from another team. At this stage, it feels like his career would be best served by moving on to a team that will use him regularly.
However, the Canadiens would have the option to match any offer or settle for the compensation and let the defenseman walk. However, if the offer sheet had a cap hit below $1,544,424, there would be no compensation. If it were between $1,544,425 and $2,340,037, it would be a third-round pick. Such a low offer sheet is hardly ever seen in the NHL, however, and only 17 teams still have their third-round pick, making it possible for them to make such an offer.
In 2024, when he signed his last contract, a deal was reached on July 30, and it does look like the hulking defenseman may need to be patient once again this season. Aside from Dach, no player from the Canadiens’ organization has filed, meaning that AHL players Brett Berard, Sean Farrell, Jared Davidson, Hunter McKown and Maksymilian Szuber chose to go without. As for Zach Bolduc, he doesn't have arbitration rights.
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