Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj: The Sheriff

[Tyson]

I know Marty was blowing a bit of smoke up X derrier to make up taking him down publically, something that should never be done...but...i don't know if i would call X playing "excellent" but pretty good.

One of the things that i don't see is the level of compete that Guhle brings in EVERY game. With X's size and reputation, people should fear death, not a huggy bear. In my cranky eyes he doesn't have a high compete, high energy motor that would make him a top 2.

If you don't have a supercomputer vision of the ice, then max the tools you do have.

Then the next complaint, because I'm a professional complainer, he has 107 mph shot and doing what with it? He should unleash that beast at least 5 times a night if for nothing else, just to maim people. I don't even see him call to shoot.

Reputation as a fighter is worth two wooden nickels if no one drops them with him, but a shot that can maim you at any second, a defenseman that will pulvarize you for fun, a guy everyone hates to be near, THAT will make him valuable and eventually top 4.

He's a work in progress and a really high ceiling that he needs to see in him and strive for it.

100 NHL games for an undrafted player tells me that he needs another 100 games of development.

 

[the valiant effort]

I know Marty was blowing a bit of smoke up X derrier to make up taking him down publically, something that should never be done...but...i don't know if i would call X playing "excellent" but pretty good.

One of the things that i don't see is the level of compete that Guhle brings in EVERY game. With X's size and reputation, people should fear death, not a huggy bear. In my cranky eyes he doesn't have a high compete, high energy motor that would make him a top 2.

If you don't have a supercomputer vision of the ice, then max the tools you do have.

Then the next complaint, because I'm a professional complainer, he has 107 mph shot and doing what with it? He should unleash that beast at least 5 times a night if for nothing else, just to maim people. I don't even see him call to shoot.

Reputation as a fighter is worth two wooden nickels if no one drops them with him, but a shot that can maim you at any second, a defenseman that will pulvarize you for fun, a guy everyone hates to be near, THAT will make him valuable and eventually top 4.

He's a work in progress and a really high ceiling that he needs to see in him and strive for it.

Big time agreement with the bolded

 

[rickthegoon]

I only caught the 3rd period, but I was realy impressed by his pk shift at the end of the game. Blues tried 3 times to enter the zone on his side and Xhekaj killed all these zone entries by holding the line and having an active stick.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Hoping he can put it together. He’s got too much going for him and we desperately need his type.

Needs to focus on his foot speed. Physical strength is important but he needs to keep up with the pace of play and if he wants to be the reliable top 4D he thinks he can be, he needs to improve his foot speed / skating.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

100% is struggling, but you can tell he's playing to not make a mistake, which just leads to more mistakes.

He's gotta be the protector on this team because Anderson doesn't really want to and Pezzetta isn't that good of a fighter AND he's constantly in the dog house. His game against the blues didn't help.

Hughes didn't address this issue when there was close to 10, maybe more options to address this, but he chose not to.

Xhekaj is less physical than he was when he was a rookie. He chased hits. Now he seems to be waiting for moments that are pretty much 110% good to go, which isn't bad, but isn't his game.

He has a reputation as a big, tough, physical dman, which makes people target him more

The team is once again suffering through injuries and the d-core has to switch around the pairings.

So far into the season all the young d and even the vets have looked bad at points.

So, you have a player who's in the doghouse with the coaching staff.

You have a player who's CLEARLY targeted by the officials.

No consistent pairing.

Potentially sees his NHL career slipping away.

With all that anytime something happens I bet you Xhekaj is in his own head going "how do I play this, in a way I'm comfortable with, but won't get me a penalty, or put in the doghouse"

Oop the guy is by me.

MSL/Robidas need to calm the f*** down and realize this team isn't good.

How do you think players, especially young ones think when you see vets who suck for months and nothing happens, but you're bad for 2, or 3 games and bam you're stapled to the bench, or healthy scratched, or getting called out, but rarely the vets.

Let the man play his game.


That said, Arber as a forward would be a menace.

 

[The Real Timo]

100% is struggling, but you can tell he's playing to not make a mistake, which just leads to more mistakes.

He's gotta be the protector on this team because Anderson doesn't really want to and Pezzetta isn't that good of a fighter AND he's constantly in the dog house. His game against the blues didn't help.

Hughes didn't address this issue when there was close to 10, maybe more options to address this, but he chose not to.

Xhekaj is less physical than he was when he was a rookie. He chased hits. Now he seems to be waiting for moments that are pretty much 110% good to go, which isn't bad, but isn't his game.

He has a reputation as a big, tough, physical dman, which makes people target him more

The team is once again suffering through injuries and the d-core has to switch around the pairings.

So far into the season all the young d and even the vets have looked bad at points.

So, you have a player who's in the doghouse with the coaching staff.

You have a player who's CLEARLY targeted by the officials.

No consistent pairing.

Potentially sees his NHL career slipping away.

With all that anytime something happens I bet you Xhekaj is in his own head going "how do I play this, in a way I'm comfortable with, but won't get me a penalty, or put in the doghouse"

Oop the guy is by me.

MSL/Robidas need to calm the f*** down and realize this team isn't good.

How do you think players, especially young ones think when you see vets who suck for months and nothing happens, but you're bad for 2, or 3 games and bam you're stapled to the bench, or healthy scratched, or getting called out, but rarely the vets.

Let the man play his game.


That said, Arber as a forward would be a menace.

100%. These coaches are f***ing up his career and I am more than certain that if Arbs plays for Boston or any other team that appreciates what he brings and can harness his tools (slap shot) he will more the flourish.

 

[Tyson]

100%. These coaches are f***ing up his career and I am more than certain that if Arbs plays for Boston or any other team that appreciates what he brings and can harness his tools (slap shot) he will more the flourish.

While we are just fans and not privy to inside info it really does look like this kid is playing so confused that he may need a change of scenery to save his young career. I am just a fan speculating based on nothing but seeing him play, listening to him talk and watching MSL's mannerisms with this player. He was better in year one.

 

[Hannibal]

His play is up and down. He clearly needs time to find his confidence back. He will, no doubt about that. He just needs to keep playing. Once Guhle will be back, a third pair of Xhekaj-Struble will be good for us. I’ve been begging for that pair since day 1 of trainning camp.

 

[The Real Timo]

Did MSL come out to publicly defend X after that egregious call for "unsportsmanlike"? Didn't think so. If habs brass had any spine they would publicly tear into the league and their bullshit.

 

[schwang26]

Comment to a question on another site...
......

Remember the last Incredible Hulk we had in Komisarek? He had huge issue with reading the play and getting beaten on the outside. Season after season in the AHL didn't fix anything.

Then they bring him up and welded him on prime Markov, who was at another level and did the thinking for both of them. It worked for us to a point. When Komisarek got greedy and signed with the Laffs, there was no improvement at all in a decade of playing...and the end of his career in his early 30s.

There was an expectation because of his size...but failed.

I don't want a Komi V2 in X. He's doesn't have the broken Atari that was on Komis head and it's in HIS hands to raise his compete level and cut down on errors. Sadly we don't have a Markov to learn from but he has a longer runway to improve.

Let's see what we have by mid season...

Good point. I remember all of a sudden, no one could beat Komi . The guy suddenly looked awesome. Then went to the Leafs.

 

[schwang26]

It’s like Arber is playing as to not make a mistake. He’s not the same player that made him special. No where near the amount of hits and not as much aggressiveness. He did not look good last night. That was the worst I’ve seen him play if memory serves. He needs to be paired with a solid vet. My worry is they trade the guy and he becomes what he should’ve been here.

 

[Frankenheimer]

I thought he played a decent game, and also got involved in offensive play. Showed restraint when squaring up to Couturier. Too much attention is focused on him at the moment as a 6th D. I hope the progress continues.

 

[Ezpz]

He needs to watch Pronger and probably moreso Larry Robinson in how to be the toughest guy on the ice without fighting constantly. Robinson neutered the broadstret bullies on his own. Heck even the ogre Chara wasn't someone you wanted to fight but used intimidation to get guys to dump pucks instead of challenge him.

Xhekaj needs to lay out a few very very hard body checks to show guys it's better not to challenge him. He's not using his size to his advantage yet. But even hedman was a second overall pick and still took over half a decade to figure it out. Tampa fans were ready to give up on him after the lockout 2013 season.

I am not saying Xhekaj has hof potential but he could be a solid top 4 guy if he starts using his tools effectively. In a lot of ways he reminds me of Emelin where he had one aspect of his game everyone loved but he would get taken advantage of because of it. Coach neutered Emelin and he was somewhat effective but never as good as he was before and didn't figure out how to get his tools together. Xhekaj needs to be a beast at the right times, not scared of getting yelled at, but also not do stupid things that get him yelled at. It's a fine line.

 

[badfish]

I think when he first broke into the league he was compared to Ben Chiarot. Chiarot was a mid-round pick who played parts of 4 seasons in the AHL and didn't really fully arrive until he was 25-years old. So if Xhekaj follows a similar development path, there is probably another couple of seasons of heavy development on his end.

 

[salbutera]

Excerpt courtesy of The Athletic:

Defenceman Arber Xhekaj said this week that his head was messing with him when he was on the ice. He had too much informational traffic in there, creating gridlock in his synapses when it came to his decision-making in the defensive zone.

When St. Louis announced Friday that Xhekaj would be re-entering the lineup with Justin Barron injured, he bluntly stated what he expected from Xhekaj.

“I expect a better version,” St. Louis said. “It means staying alert, consistent.”

When asked about Xhekaj’s mental gridlock — playing with the fear of making mistakes — St. Louis doubled down.

“I mean, you should be worried about making some mistakes, right?” he said. “He’s not a rookie anymore, so you should be like, ‘I’ve got to be better.’ Very simple. It’s not like we nitpick everything he does. But he’s got to be better. I expect Xhekaj to be a better version.”

There is nothing there that was overly harsh. It was just true. Xhekaj’s defensive game had been an issue since the start of training camp. Everyone could see it, even Xhekaj. And yet, for some reason, this assessment created a ridiculous overreaction from many online Friday.

Before Saturday’s game, Xhekaj had a conversation with St. Louis. A good conversation. It helped immensely.

Anyone who thought St. Louis hated Xhekaj based on those comments Friday should probably hear Xhekaj talk about that conversation himself.

“I had a good talk with Marty, and it was, just, relax. I was overthinking things. I was too worried about things I couldn’t control. Just clear my mind. I know I’m a good player, so just play the game. And it went well,” Xhekaj said. “He definitely helps me a lot and definitely tells me, like, ‘Just play, man. You know what to do out there. Don’t worry about anything, just play.’

“It feels good to hear that from your coach. So it definitely helped my game.”

Xhekaj’s game Saturday was not perfect, but it was undoubtedly a better version. And ultimately, that came as a result of another decision from his coach.

“I know how to play, and I know the systems we do. There are certain times when you’re on certain parts of the ice where you know what to do. So you don’t really need to overthink things,” Xhekaj said. “We simplified our D-zone a little bit, and I think it helped.”

It looked like the Canadiens were playing more man-to-man in their defensive zone against the Blues. Not a straight man-to-man system, but more of it within the hybrid defensive zone system they use. Was that it?

“Yeah,” Xhekaj said. “We simplified.”

That word, “simplified,” resonates. Toward the end of training camp, St. Louis was asked if he should simplify his defensive zone scheme, and he bristled.

“Simplify? No. I wouldn’t say simplify because if you want to do something simple, you don’t do anything. You just stand still,” he said then. “To me, we don’t have the puck. It’s not time to be simple; it’s time to be calculated together.”

 

[HabsAddict]

Regardless of anything happening with X, our brlliant Marty should of NEVER thrown him under the bus in public. Like ABSOLUTELY never do that.

I had a 50 year career in manufacturing management and not ONCE did i do it to any of my employees. Even if i fired them, it was no ones business what happened.

Yet here we are...

Yes, i know, fans love it but I'm pretty sure no one in here would like it if their boss ran over him/her in public.

 

[Rapala]

I know Marty was blowing a bit of smoke up X derrier to make up taking him down publically, something that should never be done...but...i don't know if i would call X playing "excellent" but pretty good.

One of the things that i don't see is the level of compete that Guhle brings in EVERY game. With X's size and reputation, people should fear death, not a huggy bear. In my cranky eyes he doesn't have a high compete, high energy motor that would make him a top 2.

If you don't have a supercomputer vision of the ice, then max the tools you do have.

Then the next complaint, because I'm a professional complainer, he has 107 mph shot and doing what with it? He should unleash that beast at least 5 times a night if for nothing else, just to maim people. I don't even see him call to shoot.

Reputation as a fighter is worth two wooden nickels if no one drops them with him, but a shot that can maim you at any second, a defenseman that will pulvarize you for fun, a guy everyone hates to be near, THAT will make him valuable and eventually top 4.

He's a work in progress and a really high ceiling that he needs to see in him and strive for it.

The problem is when Xhekaj brings the pure hate every shift he gets penalized and often undeservedly.
How many games would he have got for a Trouba like hit because he would certainly have been tossed.
The league is doing a fine job neutering him on it's own.

He's playing with one hand tied behind his back and will continue to do so until he gets the green light from Marty.
What needs to happen is the team needs to have his back on and off the ice.
That f***ing pre season bullshit and our inability to kill off the penalty sealed his fate before the season even started.

The narrative goes from Xhekaj f***ed his team with his stupidity to Xhekaj did an awesome job looking out for his mates.

 

[TT1]

The main thing Xhekaj is gonna have to work on is to change his mindset and prioritize getting better at the things the team needs him to be good at.

He's actually a good mobile dman (for his size) with good offensive tools but he tends to over complicate things thinking that's his game (especially with his 1st pass and some of the plays he tries to make with his skating). As long as he keeps it simple (move pucks quickly/pick safe 1st pass) and prioritizes not making mistakes, clears the front of the net, blocking passing lanes/being positioned properly and being physically punishing he'll have a spot in the NHL. Basically he needs to watch a lot of Weber tape .

If he does that well then his offensive tools become the icing on the cake and will be what raises his ceiling in the league.

 

[SakuKoivu11]

I’m beginning to think he’s not an NHL player. I think both Struble and Barron are better players.

 

[LaP]

imagine if they could draft one of the top 3 studs this year to go with Demidov. Just need to fix this blueline and things are looking up. Well blueline, goaltending and for sure one more coach....

Fixing the blue line will be the easy part honestly.

 

[Habs]

Fixing the blue line will be the easy part honestly.

well we haven't fixed it since our miracle covid run... what are they waiting for? We don't know what we have in Reinbacher, we have Hutson.. and I think Arbs is part of the core. Struble is 'meh' , there is some work to be done!

 

[LaP]

well we haven't fixed it since our miracle covid run... what are they waiting for? We don't know what we have in Reinbacher, we have Hutson.. and I think Arbs is part of the core. Struble is 'meh' , there is some work to be done!

Why would they fix it? They are trying the kids to see if there's something there which is what they should do atm. They'll likely give up on Barron next summer maybe even Xhekaj. But right now the team's not good enough so they try the kids. That's what is commonly refered as rebuilding. Next year Demidov will come here and if we draft a Martone they'll likely look at giving up on a few kids and go grab one or two vets.

 

[Andy]

well we haven't fixed it since our miracle covid run... what are they waiting for? We don't know what we have in Reinbacher, we have Hutson.. and I think Arbs is part of the core. Struble is 'meh' , there is some work to be done!

Not the defense thread, but I find it rich to read that Arber is part of the core and Struble is meh when Struble has legit been the better of both d-men and by a mile.

 

[Habs]

Not the defense thread, but I find it rich to read that Arber is part of the core and Struble is meh when Struble has legit been the better of both d-men and by a mile.

Because I think Arbs has way more value, and they both are struggling right now. If I had to pick one to keep its Arbs all day long.

Why would they fix it? They are trying the kids to see if there's something there which is what they should do atm. They'll likely give up on Barron next summer maybe even Xhekaj. But right now the team's not good enough so they try the kids. That's what is commonly refered as rebuilding. Next year Demidov will come here and if we draft a Martone they'll likely look at giving up on a few kids and go grab one or two vets.

I don't think we develop an inch without fixing some holes, I'm worried we go backwards this year which isn't good. I'm all for the rebuild, but all these kids just need to play even if they suck on any given night. Keep them out there.

 

[overlords]

Not the defense thread, but I find it rich to read that Arber is part of the core and Struble is meh when Struble has legit been the better of both d-men and by a mile.

Arber provides something that nobody else on the team can. Until HuGo corrects that, X is above Struble. Struble being a smidgen better defensively hasn't exactly mattered too much in the grand scheme of things, but imagine how this team would fall apart with nobody to protect them out there for 10 games straight. It'd get real weird.

That's also not to say that Struble couldn't police things out there a bit better. He's got a side to him that's just as scary as Arber, you just really need to poke him to see it.