Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj the Sheriff Returns Edition

No but alot of people here see Ghule as a top pairing dman and I don't , not a fan of his game this year. Solid 4 though


A number 4 ? How does that make sense ? Do you even watch the league ? You're just trying really hard to be right about a dumb take and doubling down and now equating Guhle = Matheson and Savard.

Yikes thats not a good look.
 
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No but alot of people here see Ghule as a top pairing dman and I don't , not a fan of his game this year. Solid 4 though
I agree. Habs don't have #1D. Hutson is not it because by himself he cannot carry the pairing. He is a great #2 with the #1 still to come. If ever.

Guhle is #3-4 on a solid contending team. That's all we got, especially since we are not playing Xhekaj anymore.
 
A number 4 ? How does that make sense ? Do you even watch the league ? You're just trying really hard to be right about a dumb take and doubling down and now equating Guhle = Matheson and Savard.

Yikes thats not a good look.
He's not a good enough puck mover or good enough defensively to be top pairing.

I also didin't say Ghule was equal to Matheson or Savard , just that these guys can lay stinkers and nobody fusses over it.

You get so defensive over ghule it's actually a little bit sad and its hilarious you ask me if I watch the league when you constantly trot ghule out as some amazing #2 D
 
He's not a good enough puck mover or good enough defensively to be top pairing.

I also didin't say Ghule was equal to Matheson or Savard , just that these guys can lay stinkers and nobody fusses over it.

You get so defensive over ghule it's actually a little bit sad and its hilarious you ask me if I watch the league when you constantly trot ghule out as some amazing #2 D
Guhle is 22. Hes been in the top 30 5v5 producers every single year hes been in the NHL.

Hilarious that you would call him not good enough defensively though. Im not sure what youre watching if you really think that.

Haryley called him our #1 yesterday, Dorion did the same a week ago, MSL uses him as our matchup D, his advanced stats are always at the top offensively and of course defensively.

Like what?
 
Me too but it is what it is.
hopefully habs brass realize 'a team' is not made up of 19 similar pieces and understand what he brings is unique. But who the f*** knows?
I think he's 100% full time next year.
As I've posted numerous times, when he's gone - which would suck since Florian is here - many will start crying about how we lack toughness or they'll whine about the league not doing a proper job deterring / protecting players.
It's amazing to me, that there isn't a bottom pairing spot for him. We haven't had a nuclear deterrent in 3+ decades.
It seems personal with the amount of leash MSL gives other players
 
he wont play again this season or playoffs if they make it.
not sure why. to tough I guess
Unless there is an injury, it would seem.

Best I can reason theough how MSL sees it: the Xhekaj-Savard pairing isn't great, amd he wants to keep Savard in the lineup for pk, end games, and his experience. So X sits.

Or, if Wilson roughs us up, he may play 7 D so X can get back in.
 
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hopefully habs brass realize 'a team' is not made up of 19 similar pieces and understand what he brings is unique. But who the f*** knows?
I think he's 100% full time next year.
As I've posted numerous times, when he's gone - which would suck since Florian is here - many will start crying about how we lack toughness or they'll whine about the league not doing a proper job deterring / protecting players.
It's amazing to me, that there won't be a bottom pairing spot for him. We haven't had a nuclear deterrent in 3+ decades
We already lack toughness with him, the difference is intense when hes not there too.

Love the top players, Nick, Lane, Ivan but we have to find complimentary pieces that fit better.
 
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We already lack toughness with him, the difference is intense when hes not there too.

Love the top players, Nick, Lane, Ivan but we have to find complimentary pieces that fit better.
agreed and he's very popular. It would be so stupid to trade him.
Habs have been creampuffs since basically the 70's
 
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I found something by SMarty in an article I read and it's 100% spot on about taking risks...here is what I wrote elsewhere...

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I found this link and there is something in there that Mailman and X needs to tattoo in their brain...

"What's helped Lane become a contributor game-in, game-out since training camp is how he manages the risk that he takes," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. "I think it's not easy for the players who have so much talent offensively because they feel they can make something out of nothing a lot of times since they trust their skill. The problem with that in the NHL is, when you get burned, the talent coming back on the other side winds up in the back of your net."

I'm not a SMarty fan but those words are core to what Mailman fails to see and do. Also X taking risks.

Your a defenseman first and foremost. Learn to pick your spots because the opposition can and will burn you. Worse if the forwards are not 200 ft players.

M has the offense of Math but a 10th of the 200 ft coverage from his teammates. As soon as he pinches to use his deadly shot, if it's blocked or rebound, it's in his net. That's why he's shooting a lot from the blueline instead of committing into a pinch. Regardless, he still gets caught..and punished because he still miscalculates the risk.

Same thing for X. He can bully the guts out a player in front of him and take the opportunity to maim anyone comming down his lane, but absolutely no misadventures trying to lay a hit out of posisition. OR even a hit in his lane and getting tied up. I agree with SMarty and pulling him from a game, but this is too far.

I hope that both get a software upgrade in the decision meter because that's 90% of their problem.


 
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I hope Xhekaj gets some playoff experience. I'm sure MSL will give him at least 1 game, but it's clear he trusts Struble more and won't sit Savard for his last playoff run.

Xhekaj was always going to be a long-term project and, looking at the coaching staff's decisions this year, it seems that he didn't take the strides they were hoping for. Those talking about him possibly getting traded seems very unlikely to happen imo. Those wanting him to be traded is pure nonsense.

One thing I'm very confident about is that he will work his freaking ass off this summer to improve as a player. Xhekaj ain't going nowhere.
 
I hope Xhekaj gets some playoff experience. I'm sure MSL will give him at least 1 game, but it's clear he trusts Struble more and won't sit Savard for his last playoff run.

Xhekaj was always going to be a long-term project and, looking at the coaching staff's decisions this year, it seems that he didn't take the strides they were hoping for. Those talking about him possibly getting traded seems very unlikely to happen imo. Those wanting him to be traded is pure nonsense.

One thing I'm very confident about is that he will work his freaking ass off this summer to improve as a player. Xhekaj ain't going nowhere.
I'm not sure how he's going to work on his go/nogo decision-making unless he has access to ice and players. Same thing for Mailloux

Repeat...repeat...repeat until it's a memory reflex rather then thinking about it. .

He should also work on his speed and quickness because the fastrr he gets, he can be a more effective pain giver as well as cover for his mistakes.
 
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I'm not sure how he's going to work on his go/nogo decision-making unless he has access to ice and players. Same thing for Mailloux

Repeat...repeat...repeat until it's a memory reflex rather then thinking about it. .

He should also work on his speed and quickness because the fastrr he gets, he can be a more effective pain giver as well as cover for his mistakes.
Yea I think improving his skating will be his main priority. Not that he's a bad skater, but him being more explosive will for sure help. And yea he needs reps, but maybe watching as much film as he can during the summer can help.
 
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I hope Xhekaj gets some playoff experience. I'm sure MSL will give him at least 1 game, but it's clear he trusts Struble more and won't sit Savard for his last playoff run.

Xhekaj was always going to be a long-term project and, looking at the coaching staff's decisions this year, it seems that he didn't take the strides they were hoping for. Those talking about him possibly getting traded seems very unlikely to happen imo. Those wanting him to be traded is pure nonsense.

One thing I'm very confident about is that he will work his freaking ass off this summer to improve as a player. Xhekaj ain't going nowhere.
The NHL playoffs depletes players at a much faster rate than the regular season. If the Habs stay for any length of time in the playoffs, Xhekaj'll play because there will be injuries. Now it's a question of how fast? Let's say Washington takes out Hutson in game 1, he'll be there in game 2. The flow of the series will dictate it.
 
The NHL playoffs depletes players at a much faster rate than the regular season. If the Habs stay for any length of time in the playoffs, Xhekaj'll play because there will be injuries. Now it's a question of how fast? Let's say Washington takes out Hutson in game 1, he'll be there in game 2. The flow of the series will dictate it.
I rebuke your bad juju :laugh:

But yea, the longer it goes the more likely he plays. When that moment comes, I'm hoping he has a big game to show he deserves to be in the lineup. Managing his emotions will be key
 
I'm not sure how he's going to work on his go/nogo decision-making unless he has access to ice and players.
You make it sound like he's been sent home and being kept away from the team. He has access to ice and players, he even set a personal best for games played this year with 70.

The time for players to play through mistakes and develop isn't the playoffs. And unless we are the ones sweeping Washington I would expect Xhekaj to get some playoff games. How many will depend on how he plays when he does get in and how far the team goes.
 
You make it sound like he's been sent home and being kept away from the team. He has access to ice and players, he even set a personal best for games played this year with 70.

The time for players to play through mistakes and develop isn't the playoffs. And unless we are the ones sweeping Washington I would expect Xhekaj to get some playoff games. How many will depend on how he plays when he does get in and how far the team goes.
The games are more intense. As the series go forward many players will have all kind of injuries they might have sit for during the season. If a player has a bad game, he's much more likely to be pulled out the next game.
 

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