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Canadiens could send Arber Xhekaj to minors

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Christopher Hennessy | Last updated Oct 7, 2024 2:47 PM ET

The Montreal Canadiens have been at the center of plenty of pre-season controversy this year. David Reinbacher and Patrik Laine both got hurt in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 28. Defenseman Arber Xhakej also got into a fight that re-ignited age-old fighting debates. Now, the Canadiens are considering sending Xhakej down to the minors to play for the Laval Rocket.

Marco D’Amico of RG.org reported that Xhakej might be sent down. “Like last season, the Canadiens will likely have to send Arber Xhekaj to Laval to start the season. The reason is twofold. The Canadiens get maximum salary relief from sending him to Laval, as $1.15M of his $1.3M cap hit will be buried while he is in Laval, bringing the Canadiens within $900K of the salary cap before putting Harvey-Pinard on LTIR.

D’Amico continued, “The other reason is that Xhekaj also doesn’t have any performance bonuses to calculate, meaning the Canadiens can just as quickly recall the youngster once Price or Laine is put on LTIR the next day October 8. This doesn’t mean the Canadiens think any less of Xhekaj or his performances during the preseason; rather, they view it as a strategic paper transaction that allows them to maximize their cap and roster makeup.”

Canadiens look to succeed with young players

Ottawa Senators right wing Zack MacEwen (17) fights with Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj (72) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

The Canadiens are in the throws of a rebuild. After a surprising run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, they have ripped the roster down to the studs and are relying on youngsters. Reinbacher will be one of those players in the future as long as he recovers from this knee injury. Xhakej will be an important part of the blue line despite the pending roster move.

While Xhakej might be sent to the minors soon, he is likely to play most of the games for the Canadiens this season. While the paper transaction will cause ruffles in the fanbase, they should remain calm. Without Reinbacher, they need someone to eat up minutes on the blue line.

The Canadiens are not expected to have a great season this year. They added Patrik Laine to their forward unit, who is also out for a couple months. Nick Suzuki will have to lead the offense once again, which did not go well at all last season. Each of the last three seasons have ended before the playoffs and they need to fix that soon.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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