Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj the Sheriff Returns Edition

[HabsAddict]

Do you guys remember our 2021 run? We dispensed more pain then I had seen since the Broad Street bullies. I remember Porn Stach aka Matthews behind our net. Weber then Chiarot, then Perry just took turns trying to re-arrange his spine.

Now imagine X on either side. Him dispensing pain or re-arranging faces anyone one of those 3 trying to do that to us.

THAT is what X can do and mean in the playoffs...and you simply can NOT buy or trade for someone like him. We have him, we keep him and work with him.

 

[HuGo Sham]

good read on the bros

https://www.tvasports.ca/2025/04/01/derriere-lascension-du-futur-tom-wilson-du-ch

 

[HabsAddict]

Yeah I'm certainly not suggesting they should trade him, so not sure if you maybe misunderstood something.

Just having a dig at folks who think the organization has it in for him, whenever they scratch him after he plays like shit.

I didn't think you wanted a trade. Your post triggered the memories of Fergy.

 

[CapSpace]

I'd like to see Arber on the 4th line instead of that useless plug Pez. Why this ain't happened yet?

 

[Hannibal]

Stop trying to put Arber on the fourth line ffs.

The guy is and will be a beast on our third pair. Only has a little rough sequence. Nothing too much. Would be nice if MSL would help him in those times instead of benching him or scrathing him.

 

[DAChampion]

By X, you mean Reinbacher?
X is running out of chairs.

Reinbacher is a top-4 RHD and thus has no bearing on Xhekaj who is a third pairing LHD.

Do you guys remember our 2021 run? We dispensed more pain then I had seen since the Broad Street bullies. I remember Porn Stach aka Matthews behind our net. Weber then Chiarot, then Perry just took turns trying to re-arrange his spine.

Now imagine X on either side. Him dispensing pain or re-arranging faces anyone one of those 3 trying to do that to us.

THAT is what X can do and mean in the playoffs...and you simply can buy or trade for someone like him. We have him, we keep him and work with him.

In good time, there will be size up and down the lineup, perhaps from Slafkovsky, Reinbacher, Tuch, etc. Anderson should be good for some time.

 

[Redux91]

Arber is not going to be traded. He needs to sit once in a while to understand his limitations. Don’t forget that this guy doesn’t have a vast hockey pedigree. Unlike his younger brother, he did not learn much about playing pro hockey, as he came directly as an older major junior to the NHL nearly directly.

Coaching staff is there to show him the timing of playing his brand of hockey. Those who think MSL hates him have no clue. One of MLS’ closest buddies in the days was André Roy. Marty understands hockey needs to have those types of players. But I think this coaching staff sees Arber becoming more than an enforcer. And when Arber forgets to keep it simple, he looks foolish at the worst time.

He’s 24 going on 21, essentially. Hockey wise.

Let’s be patient with our lads.

Great post
I literally wish I wrote it ffs
So I'll just steal lines from it for IRL thanks bud

 

[Redux91]

Guhle-Hutson
Matheson-Carrier
Struble-Reinbacher

If this is seriously what you think Hughes and Gorton believe should be the end game D pairings as we try to start contending I'm going to need to have a serious word with them I'm sorry

This is not going to do it, and also won't BE it

 

[CAUFIELD]

Remember how Chariot , Weber , Edmundson, Zadorov (last year ) looked in the playoffs. It’s another season. Big physical defensemen feast in the playoffs; Xhekaj will be a beast in the playoffs. It would be a major mistake to trade him, like if the bruins traded prime Lucic back then.

 

[DAChampion]

I'm getting flashbacks to Bob Gainey getting defensive and saying his team was built off speed.

That was the most bullied team in the league.

 

[HabsAddict]

I'm getting flashbacks to Bob Gainey getting defensive and saying his team was built off speed.

That was the most bullied team in the league.

Gainey was another one of those special people that will remake hockey...in their unicorn dreams. He built the soft team but at least it was tougher then when Snow White gave skates to the Seven Dwarves...

Souray, Quintal, Baby Boulion and Rivet was our middleweight deterrence. No one to answer for the heavyweight. At best it's the modern equivilant of Struble and Guhle.

It was past the Gainey era but imagine what would happen if Kreider ran Price with X around? If Kreider declined, no problem, X would Stutzle someone else

 

[Wats]

I was hoping that X would learn from Savards very conservative and defensive style, but, well, NOPE.

Honestly, I don't understand some of these young guys. Part of learning is to absorb how more successful players are playing the game, but they seem to be self absorbed and sometimes locked into the image of their mirrors. Whatever style of play/thinking they had that brought them into the league is now "part of their success" where in fact, it's self limitation.

I can't understand or relate how some of them think...or NOT think...

That might work in some cases but I feel like having same flaws and being on the ice same time is just problems waiting to happen.

Reinbacher might be the solution. He has very little North American experience, skates like the wind, injured a bunch so need someone to make opponents think twice for running into boards, and Xhekaj can lob him puck when pressured with the puck.

 

[Captain97]

Stop trying to put Arber on the fourth line ffs.

The guy is and will be a beast on our third pair. Only has a little rough sequence. Nothing too much. Would be nice if MSL would help him in those times instead of benching him or scrathing him.

He's a young Dman on pace to play over 70 games this year. Getting sat every once and a while is part of a young players development. It's a problem if he sits too much.


Hell he's a 3rd pairing guy he may get sat every now and then throughout his career it'll happen.

 

[HabsAddict]

That might work in some cases but I feel like having same flaws and being on the ice same time is just problems waiting to happen.

Reinbacher might be the solution. He has very little North American experience, skates like the wind, injured a bunch so need someone to make opponents think twice for running into boards, and Xhekaj can lob him puck when pressured with the puck.

It may be a solution.

Rein is mobile and will take the pressure off that X-Savard face now. Another solution is Mailman but right now, he's a bit of a mess.

I'm a huge fan of both X and Mailloux, but reality is what it is.

 

[austin316]

Unfortunately have a feeling he will be traded this offseason. MSL clearly does not like him.

 

[Hannibal]

Unfortunately have a feeling he will be traded this offseason. MSL clearly does not like him.

Feels the same and im already f***ing pissed

 

[Naslund]

If this is seriously what you think Hughes and Gorton believe should be the end game D pairings as we try to start contending I'm going to need to have a serious word with them I'm sorry

This is not going to do it, and also won't BE it

Not end game D pairings. These are the starting pairings at the beginning of next season.

 

[Hannibal]

Now let’s put him back into the lineup. We need his physical presence on the backend. Especially in the playoffs. In a playoffs type of game tonight, we only had 1 hit from all of our D’s. It was Guhle’s.

Prefer having Xhekaj playing Struble’s 11 minute of ice time.

#FreeXhekaj

 

[Sharknado2]

Why not have Xhekaj play on the 4th line instead of Pezz.

 

[Naslund]

Now let’s put him back into the lineup. We need his physical presence on the backend. Especially in the playoffs. In a playoffs type of game tonight, we only had 1 hit from all of our D’s. It was Guhle’s.

Prefer having Xhekaj playing Struble’s 11 minute of ice time.

#FreeXhekaj

No.