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Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj: The Sheriff

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Future captain and pp qb. Most feared and respected in hab history.

So calm, he’s the guy you follow out of the burning ship.

will beat Lapointe’s 28 goals in 2028-2029
 
Tyson said:
I think he has been the Habs best rookie this season.
I appreciate Kaiden Guhle but Xhekaj has been so unexpected and so good.
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Guhle has been the best rookie by a wide margin. There is a reason why he plays against the top lines while Xhekaj is often 5th or 6th in icetime among the dmen.

Xhekaj is closing the gap as his play in his own end improves but this is a no contest in Guhle's favour.
 
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ChesterNimitz said:
Xhekaj may well turn out to be a diamond in the rough, but winning a Norris Trophy maybe a couple of bridges too far for this surprisingly effective young player.

The more I watch Xhekaj, the more I’m impressed with his poise and calmness with the puck. He actually slows the game down once he has possession of the puck. There’s just no panic in his game. He shows great vision in both the offensive zone and easily has one of the best first/stretch passes of all Montreal defencemen and shows a level of creativity in the offensive zone that belies his image of being just an on ice enforcer. Xhekaj also possesses a frighteningly hard and accurate wrist shot that he has shown he can get by pressing opposing forwards and hit the net. This is no easy task and Xhekaj gets that powerful shot away, accurately even when under duress. Its a tangible skill that another prime Montreal defensive prospect , Mailloux, needs to develop.

Defensively, Xhekaj continues to punch above his NHL experience weight displaying a level of anticipation, physicality, positioning and defensive awareness that has quickly turned a supposed questionable part of his game into a contributing element of the Team’s surprising level success in the first part of the season.the aura of this menacing player in the league has only contributed to Xhekaj’s success as most opposing players Give him more time and space to make a play whether that aura is warranted or not. Intimidation is still alive and thriving in the NHL and Xhekaj’s presence in the line up provides Montreal with a measure and counter measure of intimidation that we haven’t seen in a long time here.

A future trophy candidate? Highly unlikely. But the tangible on ice and office elements that Xhekaj brings to the team will be nevertheless hugely contributory to this team’s long term success. Like it or not, Xhekaj is at forefront of the wave of new, young players who will shape the future of this storied franchise.

It goes to show that in team building, like most things in life, being lucky is as important as being good.
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He’s surpassed my expectations already. The kid should be a staple on our blue line for the next decade. We’ve been missing a solid tough guy who can play since one of my all time favourite Habs. Lyle Odelein, Arber has much better offensive instincts, but Lyle wasn’t a liability out there.
 
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The Gr8 Dane said:
It's pretty much impossible to play hockey seriously unless you are really well off, you also need a car and usually both parents in the mix.

It certainly takes a village lol
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Yep, some of the most talented kids may never be witnessed or known. They can’t afford to get into organized leagues, but can probably stick handle in a phone booth. Sad reality, I find soccer a much more equal opportunity sport, but that’s getting expensive too.
 
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Tyson said:
Wait until his body fully matures....not many will be inclined to challenge him.
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It's already happening. I see VERY few guys in the league that will poke the bear. In the future, he'll have to be the agressor if he wants to tango.
 
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rickthegoon said:
It's already happening. I see VERY few guys in the league that will poke the bear. In the future, he'll have to be the agressor if he wants to tango.
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Hopefully he takes on more of a Larry Robinson mentality. Keeps people honest and if anyone does step over the line, they have to answer to him whether they want to or not. No need for him to be in many more staged fights.
 
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CAUFIELD said:
X brings a shooting option from on the pp, which Dach nor Drouin bring.

The pp is already working better because of that; and we all knew that except burrows .
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AX is great at getting his shot through and isn't afraid to use it when he can. I can't understand why MSL has not used him on the pp, why not give our young guys every bit of training you can? AX had a goal and an assist last night but Marty still sent the same 5 guys out there on the first wave which made zero sense in a blowout game. Wait till this kid gets 100 games under his belt in the NHL, he is going to be a fan favorite for many years, screw what the experts say, those guys didn't even list him as one of our better prospects.
 
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Tyson said:
Is it safe to say the Xhekaj is the most popular Hab?
When I went to buy a Xhekaj 3rd jersey for my granddaughter it wasn't available. All others were.

He should never be a healthy scratch again
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Missed opportunity by the Habs if they don’t flood their stock with X merch. Everyone wants a piece of him.
 
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