Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj: The Sheriff

[OldCraig71]

Just imagine the fan backlash if it came to pass.

It would cause quite a stir and I would be sad about it and I'm sure you would be as well.

 

[teamfirst]

He will become available RFA at the end off the season.....i can see a team pulling a Kotkaniemi on him

 

[Don D]

Arber is a larger than life figure. Made me think of Jayne Cobb from the Firefly TV series:

 

[The Real Timo]

I firmly believe that Habs will f*** up the Xhekaj situation.

 

[Runner77]

I firmly believe that Habs will f*** up the Xhekaj situation.

Not exactly the Subban situation but it feels that it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I’d much rather see Xhekaj as far away from MSL as possible over the rest of the season, work hard in the summer and start fresh at camp next year.

 

[The Real Timo]

Not exactly the Subban situation but it feels that it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I’d much rather see Xhekaj as far away from MSL as possible over the rest of the season, work hard in the summer and start fresh at camp next year.

Ideal scenario... Xhekaj goes back to AHL, St Louis gets fired, Xhekaj comes back and plays solid hockey and kicks ass.

 

[LesCanadiens]

Ideal scenario... Xhekaj goes back to AHL, St Louis gets fired, Xhekaj comes back and plays solid hockey and kicks ass.

MSL best coach we've had in ages. I can't believe you don't see that he's 100% a major reason why Slaf/CC and other key prospects have blossomed. Why on earth would you want to fire him to get another moron like MT, Ducharme and Julien who couldn't develop kids if their life depended on it?

I LOVE Xhekaj, but he HAS BEEN TERRIBLE this year. And not because of MSL's coaching. Just like CC needed AHL time and came back better than ever, so does Arber. Arber is the only person to blame for Arbers demotion. And he's not been good overall defensively in Laval either. He's got to get his OWN shit together.

 

[Heffyhoof]

Better skip on BPA this year and draft the toughest kid available. Without Xhekaj it'll be pretty fun to watch MSL's amazing systemless plan get dummied by any team that thinks it'll be funny to bully the Habs that night. It's already happened a few times this year.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Laraque is just being a little bitch about it.

I wouldn't take anything he says on this case seriously at all - I heard his spots on Marinaro about it all and it wasn't a rational thought at all.

 

[417]

Fans/media have created a mythical figure with Arber Xhekaj...the team can't even do simple call ups/demotions with a player no one knew about 2 years ago.

Calma

 

[417]

Again today on BPM and with Laraque in particular leading the charge that Arber’s days are counted in Montreal. The fact that Arber was scratched after only the third game from being called up and on the same day after having excused himself, is a bad omen.

I think Hughes made a mistake calling Arber up and should have let him get minutes and grow his game in Laval as the situation with MSL is only getting worse.

Don't pay attention to anything said on BPM or by Laraque.

The Habs are well within their right to scratch a player whenever they want too and for whatever reason they want too, Xhekaj doesn't have the clout to change that and him telling the coaching staff he's sorry for his untimely penalties doesn't mean the coaching staff is going to do anything different.

Laraque is just being a little bitch about it.

I wouldn't take anything he says on this case seriously at all - I heard his spots on Marinaro about it all and it wasn't a rational thought at all.

Laraque gave Xhekaj some fighting tips this offseason, so now he thinks he's his unofficial agent/spokesperson.

He's Quebec's "Shannon Sharpe" without the accomplishments. Loud, obnoxious and incoherent most of the time.

 

[Zilo44]

Don't pay attention to anything said on BPM or by Laraque.

The Habs are well within their right to scratch a player whenever they want too and for whatever reason they want too, Xhekaj doesn't have the clout to change that and him telling the coaching staff he's sorry for his untimely penalties doesn't mean the coaching staff is going to do anything different.


Laraque gave Xhekaj some fighting tips this offseason, so now he thinks he's his unofficial agent/spokesperson.

He's Quebec's "Shannon Sharpe" without the accomplishments. Loud, obnoxious and incoherent most of the time.

I laughed hard at the Sharpe comp. Reminds me when he called Julio Jones live and the latter express his desire to be moved by the Falcons. So staged

 

[Runner77]

Don't pay attention to anything said on BPM or by Laraque.

Laraque is more an entertainer than a pundit but I would not dismiss BPM’s audience, who I believe offers a representative sample of what Quebec’s Habs fans are passionate about.

BPM has call-in shows throughout the day and it is my impression that the vast majority of callers are unhappy with the way MSL is handling Xhekaj. The player’s popularity is undeniable. I understand that Habs monitor the media closely for this type of thing (Macchabée is no doubt involved) so what is going on with BPM can’t be dismissed outright IMHO.

 

[417]

Laraque is more an entertainer than a pundit but I would not dismiss BPM’s audience, who I believe offers a representative sample of what Quebec’s Habs fans are passionate about.

I wasn't talking about BPMs audience per se, more the show itself and it's content creators/guests.

But really, I'm not sure I agree that their audience is actually representative of what Quebec's Habs fans are passionate about.

Maybe a certain segment, sure...but given the diversity of the province and country itself. I don't agree that they (BPM) set the pulse of this franchise fanbase' feelings.

BPM has call-in shows throughout the day and it is my impression that the vast majority of callers are unhappy with the way MSL is handling Xhekaj. The player’s popularity is undeniable. I understand that Habs monitor the media closely for this type of thing (Macchabée is no doubt involved) so what is going on with BPM can’t be dismissed outright IMHO.

Their call-in shows don't represent what the entirety of the fanbase feels. They want a specific fan, a niche fan and that's who their after. They're not looking to put on air sensible fans who have perspective. They want to put on the reactionary fan who gets all of their news from BPMs sensationalism.

I really hope the organization isn't using BPM as the barometer of what they do with their players.

 

[Runner77]

I wasn't talking about BPMs audience per se, more the show itself and it's content creators/guests.

But really, I'm not sure I agree that their audience is actually representative of what Quebec's Habs fans are passionate about.

Maybe a certain segment, sure...but given the diversity of the province and country itself. I don't agree that they (BPM) set the pulse of this franchise fanbase' feelings.

I’ll respectfully disagree. They are the only all sports Franco station in the province and the vast majority of their programming is Habs-focused. Never mentioned anything about the country, their callers are almost all Quebec-based and come from different regions of the province as they have several sister stations.

 

[417]

I’ll respectfully disagree. They are the only all sports Franco station in the province and the vast majority of their programming is Habs-focused. Never mentioned anything about the country, their callers are almost all Quebec-based and come from different regions of the province as they have several sister stations.

Like I said, they're a niche radio station after a niche fan. That's fine, it's their thing but I still think it's a stretch to say that that niche is representative of the fanbase in general. So I will also respectfully disagree with that notion .

I've been a fan of this team for almost 40 years and I don't look, sound or feel like anyone who calls into that show and I think that is way more representative of the entire fanbase as a whole than the dozen or so people they recycle to call-in to their shows every day.

But that's another story....as far as Arber Xhekaj, the fanbase is probably responsible for the downturn in his play this season, they've built him into something he's not quite at yet. It looks like he may have allowed that to get to his head.

I don't want to say that he's entitled because I don't get that feeling from him, but it seems like fans feels he's entitled to having a guaranteed roster spot and his play or stature, just doesn't warrant that right now.

That's true whether or not people enjoy that he can face punch people and shoot really hard.

 

[The Real Timo]

MSL best coach we've had in ages. I can't believe you don't see that he's 100% a major reason why Slaf/CC and other key prospects have blossomed. Why on earth would you want to fire him to get another moron like MT, Ducharme and Julien who couldn't develop kids if their life depended on it?

I LOVE Xhekaj, but he HAS BEEN TERRIBLE this year. And not because of MSL's coaching. Just like CC needed AHL time and came back better than ever, so does Arber. Arber is the only person to blame for Arbers demotion. And he's not been good overall defensively in Laval either. He's got to get his OWN shit together.

Being better than the previous coaches doesn't make St Louis a good coach. The bad traits started to show mid last season and have become more and more apparent. As a team, habs are not any better than when he took over. And there are clear personal likes and dislikes that are very apparent. And every time there is a player that is a fan favorite, somehow the coach doesn't like him and it's becoming a shit show.

I am not saying replace St Louis with another Ducharme. i say find a good coach. An actually good NHL coach... not a good Bantam coach.

 

[Runner77]

Like I said, they're a niche radio station after a niche fan. That's fine, it's their thing but I still think it's a stretch to say that that niche is representative of the fanbase in general. So I will also respectfully disagree with that notion .

I've been a fan of this team for almost 40 years and I don't look, sound or feel like anyone who calls into that show and I think that is way more representative of the entire fanbase as a whole than the dozen or so people they recycle to call-in to their shows every day.

But that's another story....as far as Arber Xhekaj, the fanbase is probably responsible for the downturn in his play this season, they've built him into something he's not quite at yet. It looks like he may have allowed that to get to his head.

I don't want to say that he's entitled because I don't get that feeling from him, but it seems like fans feels he's entitled to having a guaranteed roster spot and his play or stature, just doesn't warrant that right now.

That's true whether or not people enjoy that he can face punch people and shoot really hard.

Again, my initial point was solely based on BPM’s outreach in Quebec, I am in no way speculating about what fans like yourself or anywhere else are thinking as the latter is not BPM’s core audience.

Habs employees, ex-players and RDS pundits are on their airwaves daily and that should tell you something. Habs are very protective of their brand and their paying customer base at the Bell Centre is mostly made up of locals, so I’d venture that they are very sensitive about what BPM’s audience is saying on its airwaves.

Someone like @dinodebino who worked in Quebec media would be better versed than I could to offer greater perspective.

 

[417]

Again, my initial point was solely based on BPM’s outreach in Quebec, I am in no way speculating about what fans like yourself or anywhere else are thinking as the latter is not BPM’s core audience.

Agreed...however, their core audience, at least IMO, is not as influential as you or they might think, or rather, should be. The Montreal Canadiens are a global brand.

Habs employees, ex-players and RDS pundits are on their airwaves daily and that should tell you something. Habs are very protective of their brand and their paying customer base at the Bell Centre is mostly made up of locals, so I’d venture that they are very sensitive about what BPM’s audience is saying on its airwaves.

Same goes for Leafs or Flames or Canucks or Sens, or any Canadian team media coverage. It's all ex-players, that isn't exclusive to the Montreal Canadiens.

All that tells me is the media likes bringing on former local players to do outreach with their local fans.

You might be right that the organization is very sensitive about what BPMs audience is saying on its airwaves, but I was hoping/wishing this new regime would be able to block that out for once.

The thoughts of a loud minority, shouldn't influence how you operate your franchise. If this regime follows suit, they'll get similar results.

Someone like @dinodebino who worked in Quebec media would be better versed than I could to offer greater perspective.

Would love to hear his/her take.

 

[LesCanadiens]

Being better than the previous coaches doesn't make St Louis a good coach. The bad traits started to show mid last season and have become more and more apparent. As a team, habs are not any better than when he took over. And there are clear personal likes and dislikes that are very apparent. And every time there is a player that is a fan favorite, somehow the coach doesn't like him and it's becoming a shit show.

I am not saying replace St Louis with another Ducharme. i say find a good coach. An actually good NHL coach... not a good Bantam coach.

Perspective, though.

For one, I think he's the right coach for our kids. Secondly, we've actually been nipping on the heels of some pretty good teams in spite of not only heavy injury issues, but also a very, very inexperienced blueline with no standout leader like we had with Weber. These are relevant, no?

I mean think about it, how many teams would be competitive with nearly all their 2nd AND 3rd lines on IR and a bunch of rookies on the blueline? But even so, we've skated with the top teams periodically throughout the season. I see that as an indicator that once we're primed to come out of our rebuilding phase, we'll attack the free agent market, hopefully won't be as injured and our very young players will have added experience. Well, if we're still a losing team, then I'll happily agree with your assessment of MSL.

Cheers.

 

[The Real Timo]

Perspective, though.

For one, I think he's the right coach for our kids. Secondly, we've actually been nipping on the heels of some pretty good teams in spite of not only heavy injury issues, but also a very, very inexperienced blueline with no standout leader like we had with Weber. These are relevant, no?

I mean think about it, how many teams would be competitive with nearly all their 2nd AND 3rd lines on IR and a bunch of rookies on the blueline? But even so, we've skated with the top teams periodically throughout the season. I see that as an indicator that once we're primed to come out of our rebuilding phase, we'll attack the free agent market, hopefully won't be as injured and our very young players will have added experience. Well, if we're still a losing team, then I'll happily agree with your assessment of MSL.

Cheers.

I never once said competitive. But I don't like how the team is playing. When was the last time this team played full 60 minutes? When was the last time you saw any semblance of any kind of system or structure. Lack of skill CAN be compensated by playing the game accordingly. Doesn't mean you win, it mean you get shalacked less. Do you mean to tell me that you are seeing encouraging sings when looking how Habs play in the defensive zone? These are all veterans. And don't get me started on the double standard where some can do no wrong and some cannot do anything right. By the time we see that it is a still losing team will be too late... another 10 years gone by. The signs are here and now.

 

[SlafySZN]

They will after they lose him. I have zero confidence in MSL to handle Xman properly. As a coach, you do not want to show favouritism towards players doing the same mistakes as Xman but only Xman pays the price. Stuff like this is where players ask for a trade.

The thing is Xhekaj has been doing those mistakes last year and is still doing them this year. It’s not the same with other players necessarily. If you ask a player to work or get better at something specifically and it doesn’t get better are they supposed to not tell him anything and let it be?

He can ask for a trade, he’d still have to work on his weaknesses elsewhere.

 

[Shutdown]

I don't understand why there's this prevailing attitude like MSL has no say in sending Barron down and calling Xhekaj up. If he didn't want Xhekaj on his roster, he wouldn't be there. If Xhekaj was ready to be in the lineup every night, he would be.

 

[1909]

Xhekaj is so overated that's it's not even funny. Some fans are willing to give him the moon because he can fight... So what ? It should be about hockey, first and above all. He has been injured twice, and quite seriously, by two non goons, Desharnais and Barbashev. He is subpar defensively. He is indeed AHL level at this point. I would had send him down to Laval for at least this week. Habs management were generous for him: NHL salary + a full holiday week with his buddies, girlfriend and-or family. He has to cut on his bad penalties. Concentrate on his d-game.

 

[The Real Timo]

Xhekaj is so overated that's it's not even funny. Some fans are willing to give him the moon because he can fight... So what ? It should be about hockey, first and above all. He has been injured twice, and quite seriously, by two non goons, Desharnais and Barbashev. He is subpar defensively. He is indeed AHL level at this point. I would had send him down to Laval for at least this week. Habs management were generous for him: NHL salary + a full holiday week with his buddies, girlfriend and-or family. He has to cut on his bad penalties. Concentrate on his d-game.

If it should be about hockey what does it make Harris? or Barron? or Gallagher?

He played hockey just ok. What he could use is more attention by coaches to his game than to his penalties. Like Matheson doesn't take idiotic penalties almost every game? Xhekaj brings something that this team hasn't had in a long time... and that is opposition being a bit more tame. He will not win every fight... but people are excited this is not as much of a creampuff team as it usually is.