- Teams are calling Montreal about defenseman Arber Xhekaj, per David Pagnotta
- Xhekaj is a 25-year-old RFA still without a contract for 2026-27
- Read below for why a crowded Canadiens blue line could push a deal
Teams around the league are calling Montreal about Arber Xhekaj.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said on Leafs Morning Take that a handful of clubs have reached out to the Canadiens about the 25-year-old defenseman. There’s no sign Kent Hughes is actively shopping him, but the phone keeps ringing.
There’s a wrinkle. Xhekaj is a restricted free agent and still doesn’t have a deal in place for 2026-27. He played last season on a $1.3 million cap hit, which makes him one of the cheaper physical blue liners a team can ask about.
The interest isn’t new either. His name floated all last season as his role shrank, and the Flames were poking around before the March deadline, per the Montreal Gazette’s Herb Zurkowsky.
Here’s why Montreal might finally pick up the call. The blue line is packed. Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Jayden Struble and Alexandre Carrier are all locked in, and David Reinbacher is knocking on the door after 24 points in 57 games with AHL Laval. The No. 5 pick from 2023 needs NHL minutes soon.
What Xhekaj brings is the stuff that doesn’t land on the scoresheet. He led the Canadiens with 178 hits and posted a plus-5 across their 13-game playoff run. He’ll also drop the gloves, as Sam Carrick learned at the buzzer of Game 3 back in May.
Here’s the right hand that cost him a fine:
The undrafted defenseman managed just four points in 65 regular-season games, and his ice time dipped. Size, sandpaper and a bargain price still get a general manager to return a voicemail.
Hughes hasn’t tipped his hand. Montreal could hand Xhekaj a fresh contract and keep the muscle just as easily as it could move him. The calls are coming either way.
