Arber Xhekaj, the carrot-eating pony: Maxim Lapierre would have liked to see him free

The Canadiens have a fine product on their hands: Arber Xhekaj. He’s a really tough defenseman who can make his teammates grow a few inches on the ice.

But it’s not always easy for him with the Habs.

After all, he’s quite popular with the fans, but he’s not the most reliable defensively. And sometimes, seeing a defender struggle and spend many minutes in the dungeon isn’t ideal.

As a result, he finished the regular season on the sidelines and started the playoffs in the stands. He eventually replaced Jayden Struble for the last three games of the series against Washington.

But he didn’t make much of an impact.

And this situation angers Maxim Lapierre, who spoke about it during the second intermission of yesterday’s game. It was 3-0 then, and the CH needed an electroshock – which is something the Sheriff can provide.

But clearly, he feels Xhekaj is handcuffed and unnatural. He likened him to a racehorse that’s been slowed down to become a pony that does nothing but eat carrots.