Which is why you need guys with some toughness that can play, and pushback throughout your lineup.
We don't have enough of either right now, as the roster is currently constituted. But one tough guy alone can't make enough of a difference to offset a soft roster.
We need a more "collectively-tough" team culture, and to add middle-6 players and top-4 defensemen with gumption to fuel that identity.
Thing is, at this point in his career Xhekaj is a good #6 defenseman and that's it. He helps with depth, and when trying to balance-out teams with a lot of toughness, but Xhekaj currently can't really help our top-end be harder-to-play-against.
If Xhekaj was able to play 20-21 minutes of reliable hockey a night, we wouldn't be having this conversation and he'd be pretty close to an untouchable on our team considering his age, size, toughness, and physicality.
But Xhekaj hasn't shown the level of play required for that role long-term as of yet. Plain and simple.
And then there's the fact that Xhekaj HAS progressed here and there since his rookie year, but that he has yet to show any form of consistency for longer periods of time, which is exactly what you'd want to start seeing in a young D in his 3rd season in the pros.
Quantifiably-speaking, the improvements Xhekaj has shown also haven't been exactly earth-shaking in the last couple of years.
If we look at Xhekaj's usage, well, it's abundantly clear that he also hasn't been trusted on the PK, which I think is warranted considering that Xhekaj has some pretty glaring defensive lapses at times.
Moreover, the "fancy stats" also show that Xhekaj hasn't been a net-positive on puck-possession at 5-on-5 so that, combined with somewhat sheltered deployment 5-on-5 and what we've already talked about, kind of compounds the issue a bit in Xhekaj's case.
The thing Xhekaj has going for him is his toughness, how he IS good at helping break the cycle with his strength on the boards, how he can protect the front-of-the-net, and his overall physical abilities, as well as the flashes of potential on D that he sometimes shows (and frustrates me with at times).
But Xhekaj still needs a lot of development defensively, and some maturing-up to do on how to be a consistent pro before he becomes a legit top-4 defenseman and more than a complementary piece for us.
Unfortunately, at this point it isn't immediately evident if Xhekaj will in fact ever manage to reach that playing level. Some players simply don't progress much past certain thresholds. It just is what it is.
So yeah, I'd personally keep Xhekaj, continue giving him playing time and trying to see if he might not finally be able to take the next step for the Canadiens.
I'd also look at adding some guys with toughness and playing ability to shore the middle-6 and second defensive pairing. But that might be hard to do/gauge given the volatility of the UFA market and that EVERY team is looking to get tougher/better.
Incidentally, in the unlikely scenario of a deal for a higher-end piece on D with some toughness necessitating Xhekaj to be included, our management should be ready to trade him (plus more obviously) if it is what it takes.
