It's safe to assume so otherwise how on earth cold he possibly be at 80 years old and be as tall if not taller than Cole?Did Yvan sport Elvis-type elevator in-soles in any of those pics?
More physically isn't a competitive advantage, it only works on a larger scale when you play a tired team (like the Habs last game). Otherwise, it's only effective against the cream puff players à la Drouin and poor skaters who can't escape/avoid (many on the habs).
Brady T. was crapping on the Habs when Arber was in the line-up last year. Ottawa coach was sending their goons after Arber and Brady avoids anything bigger than him on the ice (no just the Arbers) to aim at smaller target anyway.
Arber turned the Rocket into a winning team and helped Mailloux not to flop as a dmen. Just that is a win long term for the Habs
They weren't doing so hot with Struble in the lineup in Laval so why would Arber get sent down and he gets to stay in Montreal? Arber was supposedly sent down on a conditioning stint and it seems that Struble has taken his place. Don't get me wrong but it just looks odd from the outside looking in.
It wasn't really a conditioning stint. He was just straight up demoted and Struble outplayed him in his absence. They didn't like his game to start the year and Struble has just been too good to demote, no harm in letting Xhekaj simmer for a bit and learn to be the big dog and a team leader in the AHL. He's using his offensive skill set in Laval too in a way he hasn't really been able to as an NHLer.
I don't really see this honestly. They didn't "put together a small team" this year, Dach, Anderson, and Pearson are just injured and Xhekaj is developing in the NHL. It's not like Xhekaj's current replacement (Struble) is a soft player either. I don't really see the point in getting wound up about size because of the game 45 lineup in a tank year with a billion injuries, the only smallish guy on the blue line right now is Harris and it's not like they're building this team around Stephens, Ylonen, and Harvey-Pinard either.
The sources I’ve seen point to the initial announcement as involving a demotion for Arber to work on his game, not simply rehab from the injury he had suffered before being sent down:
Which appears to be working, and begs the question "what's the problem". This board is obsessed with players developing anywhere other then the NHL..... with the exception of an undrafted, unpolished Xhekaj. Strange.
It's the hockey dad syndrome. He has a lot of dads around here. FWIW I love the guy and expect him to play 15-18 mins for the next 15 years but he needed some work.
You missed the part where I wrote that Hughes recognizes the problem and is addressing it I guess, while mentioning all 3 of those players?
Yup, think about the guy you just described and add on 25-30 points and a defensive rock and you have a real gem. A bit of a unicorn if they can get him buttoned up.
Yeah my b was killing time waiting for a meeting and didn't read thoroughly enough
Arber said he was surprised by the demotion but it’s not clear when he was told.
I absolutely love Arber...but this was the right decision. He was a disaster this year defensively and was taking some really dumb penalties to boot. I wouldn't put too much stock in what the press says. And I'll bet that MSL gave him crystal-clear signals that he was on thin ice.
I like what he has done since going there and have posted about it multiple times. He has cut down the penalty minutes, scored points, and helped Laval turn its season around, its much more than I expected and I am one of his biggest fans on this board. I don't like seeing the habs get pushed around and yeah I'm an old-school fan and back in the day no one pushed us around. I realize the game is changing but toughness is still a necessity in my opinion.
I agree on all counts, bud. I'm an old-school fan like you. My first favorite player was Rogatien Vachon in the mid-60's. So I get it. He'll be back with a vengeance. I have no doubts.
