Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj the Sheriff Returns Edition

[ahmedou]

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Xhekaj is here to stay for the remainder of this series. If we somehow manage to get past Washington… we can see how his game fits against the next opponent.

Agreed. Even if people are exaggerating his importance last night he still brings a dimension we need in this series. I like Struble a lot but to me X is the long term choice. I’d deal Strubke in the offseason. He’s too valuable to sit waiting as a 7th blueliner. He’s can be used to bring back assets that we need.

 

[ahmedou]

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

You think he Andy would say something bad about him? That's just what he's supposed to say as a team player. Everyone love Xhekaj but he's not very good.

He’s a young 3rd pairing blueliner. He and Struble are around the same level. I think Stuble is a bit more steady but X brings the big shot and more physicality.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Uh guys,

Believe it or not some people may have a different opinion on things than you do. That doesn’t give you license to attack posters. Dial it back. It’s fine to attack posts but the personal attacks are out of bounds.

 

[Kojo]

He’s a young 3rd pairing blueliner. He and Struble are around the same level. I think Stuble is a bit more steady but X brings the big shot and more physicality.

I'm done arguing in this thread but Xhekaj is not that young he's going to be 25 next season. I'm done here.

Gonna click ignore thread.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Btw, just to play devils advocate here, the Habs were playing in his way in the second half of both opening games and did so without X.

I’m glad he’s in the lineup. I’d have never taken him out but it’s not like they need him to play this way.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I'm done arguing in this thread but Xhekaj is not that young he's going to be 25 next season. I'm done here.

Hes young in terms of how long he’s been playing. Most blueliners break in around 24 years old. Hutson and Guhle are exceptions to the rule.

 

[bud12]

You think he Andy would say something bad about him? That's just what he's supposed to say as a team player. Everyone love Xhekaj but he's not very good.

The guy is good enough to play over one of Struble/Savard.

 

[Mrb1p]

The X-factor needs to be a staple.

Ive also noticed that Slaf is a lot more implicated when AX is in the lineup.

 

[habdynasty]

Just his presence is what the team needed.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Without wading too far into the weeds, I think it’s a worthwhile debate on how much Xhekaj brings vs. his liabilities.

At this point though I’m willing to live and die with him in the lineup barring anything egregious. This experience is vital for him.
I think he still has room to get better.

If Struble was a righty, I’d play him over Savard in a heartbeat

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

The X-factor needs to be a staple.

Ive also noticed that Slaf is a lot more implicated when AX is in the lineup.

I don’t have the data but I would not be surprised if that was a straight up fact.

My biggest guilty pleasure Hab was Crankshaft lol. I didn’t care how much a liability he was honestly. Let Xhekaj have this experience

 

[JianYang]

Agreed. Even if people are exaggerating his importance last night he still brings a dimension we need in this series. I like Struble a lot but to me X is the long term choice. I’d deal Strubke in the offseason. He’s too valuable to sit waiting as a 7th blueliner. He’s can be used to bring back assets that we need.

Yeah, I'm happy for arber to get his chance, and I hope he takes advantage of it but it should be noted that the 2nd caps goal was started on a turnover by him thay was so needless.

The biggest takeaway for me was not arber's presence. Rather it was the powerplay and how it looked multi dimensional and dangerous. That in itself acts as a deterrent for some liberties that the capitals might want to take going forward.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Without wading too far into the weeds, I think it’s a worthwhile debate on how much Xhekaj brings vs. his liabilities.

At this point though I’m willing to live and die with him in the lineup barring anything egregious. This experience is vital for him.
I think he still has room to get better.

If Struble was a righty, I’d play him over Savard in a heartbeat

Yeah, it's Struble or X. That's just how it is.

Savard btw, actually played a decent game last night. Good on the PK and stopped some chances. But I'd still take him out of the lineup for Reinbacher if that was a viable option.

 

[Mrb1p]

I don’t have the data but I would not be surprised if that was a straight up fact.

My biggest guilty pleasure Hab was Crankshaft lol. I didn’t care how much a liability he was honestly. Let Xhekaj have this experience

I loooove Cranckshaft lmao. He was bad bad, but god was he nice.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

I loooove Cranckshaft lmao. He was bad bad, but god was he nice.

I loooove Cranckshaft lmao. He was bad bad, but god was he nice.

Pretty sure I convinced myself he was a net positive on the ice . Either way I didn’t care. Dictionary definition of a beast

 

[Mrb1p]

Pretty sure I convinced myself he was a net positive on the ice . Either way I didn’t care. Dictionary definition of a beast

Youre not a hockey fan if youre not a fan of a guy with the nickname Crankshaft. With that said, AX is a better player than Big Doug, at least when he was with us.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Youre not a hockey fan if youre not a fan of a guy with the nickname Crankshaft. With that said, AX is a better player than Big Doug, at least when he was with us.

Yep best nickname in the biz.

Agreed on Arber. Hopefully he can steadily improve from here on out

 

[Mrb1p]

Yep best nickname in the biz.

Agreed on Arber. Hopefully he can steadily improve from here on out

I'd say "The X-Factor" is pretty tough too

 

[Paddy17]

Every defenseman on this team make tons of mistakes, but every mistake Xhekaj makes is amplified and held against him.

And no, playing more won't increase # mistakes linearly. He plays more, he'll feel more comfortable and confident, so the rate of mistakes probably comes down. As long as he doesn't play 25 min, the number of mistakes he'll make should be around the team average if he plays around 15 min.

 

[ahmedou]

 

[ahmedou]

 

[Bring Bak Damphousse]

Your blind love for him is concerning.

So is your blind hate, but I think whats most concerning, is anyone who watched that game and didn’t think he gave the rest of the team the confidence to go out and play physical against a significantly bigger team. he’s not a perfect player, he’s not going to score 20 goals, all we need from him is a physical presence on our bottom pairing. If he can give us 12-15 minutes of solid hockey, while keeping the other teams honest, than mission accomplished.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Every defenseman on this team make tons of mistakes, but every mistake Xhekaj makes is amplified and held against him.

By who?

X played most of the season with us over Struble. The idea that MSL hates this guy is fiction. He’s probably given X a mandate to avoid certain things and holds him to account on stuff. He’s a 3rd pairing blueliner, he’s going to be treated differently than Hutson.

Unless you’re talking about a few posters on this board. Which is always the case with any player.

And no, playing more won't increase # mistakes linearly. He plays more, he'll feel more comfortable and confident, so the rate of mistakes probably comes down. As long as he doesn't play 25 min, the number of mistakes he'll make should be around the team average if he plays around 15 min.

I agree with this. It sucks we have to choose between two good young blueliners but it is what it is. To me, X is the better choice - especially in this series - but I hate that people have to pretend that Struble sucks to pump up X.