Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj: The Sheriff

[OldCraig71]

That's two different teams, my dude.

The one with Murray and Parros lost to the Rangers.

That one lost to the flyers because there was nothing else. There wasn't even toughness on that team.

Okay, so let's switch Halak with Carey Price and it's very similar. We need a better top 6 if we want long term competitiveness from our roster.

 

[Goalfield13]

I think Wifi would be pretty effective on the right. I wish they would try Guhle-Xhekaj one game just to see how it looks and put Struble with Matheson. Guhle is just not made for the right side long-term.

Guhle-Xhekaj
Matheson-Struble
Hutson-Savard

 

[ChesterNimitz]

He has alot of Development left and if he reaches it...Habs will have a gem on their hands.

There isn't a team in the league that wouldn't have Xhekaj on their roster today. That includes Montreal.

 

[Habssince89]

I think people are sleeping on X's ability to play the game. He'll never be a star, but his mobility and puck skills are rare for a guy whose most noticeable trait is his toughness.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Okay, so let's switch Halak with Carey Price and it's very similar. We need a better top 6 if we want long term competitiveness from our roster.

Price went down in the 3rd and the Habs were still competitive.

While they definitely do need a better top 6 having the toughness definitely helped the forwards play a bit more bigger knowing they had players to back them up

 

[Sasha Orlov]

There isn't a team in the league that wouldn't have Xhekaj on their roster today. That includes Montreal.

Other fan bases don’t want to admit this

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Other fan bases don’t want to admit this

Who cares?

 

[JJ68]

Let's not forget that Jaroslav Halak carried that team and the timely goal-scoring of Mike Cammalleri. It was good to have toughness but we lived and died with Jaro.

wrong season. Halak didn't carry anything in 2013 and cammaleri wasnt there

 

[HabsAddict]

If you hate X and the Habs, buy truckloads more of that hate because you wont like what the Habs will ice in a few years.

When Tuch, Hage, Thorpe and Little X are bottom 6, it's going to be a nasty place to play. First off, it will be the biggest team in the league and match the toughest team the Habs have ever iced in our history.

Most of you are too young to remember the mid 70s Habs teams, but those were the toughest teams in NHL history. They also had multiple superstars we don't have now, but they certainly had toughness.

75-76....Riseborough, Lapointe, Tremblay, P Mahavolich, P Bouchard, Robinson, Chartraw, VonBoxmeer....and the rest would gladly fire pucks at your head. It was a team built to win...ANY way you want to play it.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

If you hate X and the Habs, buy truckloads more of that hate because you wont like what the Habs will ice in a few years.

When Tuch, Hage, Thorpe and Little X are bottom 6, it's going to be a nasty place to play. First off, it will be the biggest team in the league and match the toughest team the Habs have ever iced in our history.

Most of you are too young to remember the mid 70s Habs teams, but those were the toughest teams in NHL history. They also had multiple superstars we don't have now, but they certainly had toughness.

75-76....Riseborough, Lapointe, Tremblay, P Mahavolich, P Bouchard, Robinson, Chartraw, VonBoxmeer....and the rest would gladly fire pucks at your head. It was a team built to win...ANY way you want to play it.

Would love to get Robinson on our coaching staff somehow

 

[morhilane]

I think Wifi would be pretty effective on the right. I wish they would try Guhle-Xhekaj one game just to see how it looks and put Struble with Matheson. Guhle is just not made for the right side long-term.

Guhle-Xhekaj
Matheson-Struble
Hutson-Savard

Xhekaj has been tried on the right and he's not good on his off-side. He's also not ready for 1st pair D.

 

[le_sean]

If you hate X and the Habs, buy truckloads more of that hate because you wont like what the Habs will ice in a few years.

When Tuch, Hage, Thorpe and Little X are bottom 6, it's going to be a nasty place to play. First off, it will be the biggest team in the league and match the toughest team the Habs have ever iced in our history.

Most of you are too young to remember the mid 70s Habs teams, but those were the toughest teams in NHL history. They also had multiple superstars we don't have now, but they certainly had toughness.

75-76....Riseborough, Lapointe, Tremblay, P Mahavolich, P Bouchard, Robinson, Chartraw, VonBoxmeer....and the rest would gladly fire pucks at your head. It was a team built to win...ANY way you want to play it.

Not sure why you’re lumping Hage in there. He’s not exactly physical. Also getting ahead of yourself with Thorpe. He needs to show he’s better in the CHL before we pencil him into an NHL lineup. In fact, despite his size, he’s not mean. 30 PIMs last season.

 

[bud12]

Yeah when you decide to jump into a conversation It's a good idea to read the initial post.

I hated Moen he would always fight at the wrong moments and invariably lose most of them.
Instant energy for the opposition.

As far as winning or losing that's your take not mine.

No my memories are Moen getting beaten by anyone he faced against Boston

Yeah right

 

[Rapala]

Yeah right

LOL you are like a persistent fly buzzing around me...

SWAT

 

[KevSkillz4]

I think people are sleeping on X's ability to play the game. He'll never be a star, but his mobility and puck skills are rare for a guy whose most noticeable trait is his toughness.

I hated so much D's in Habs uniform because of their bad transition. Xhekaj have a great transition. Great hands. Great shot. He is a good passer.

I really like his game, he isn't just a fighter//hitter. He is a very good hockey player aswell!!

 

[Habssince89]

I hated so much D's in Habs uniform because of their bad transition. Xhekaj have a great transition. Great hands. Great shot. He is a good passer.

I really like his game, he isn't just a fighter//hitter. He is a very good hockey player aswell!!

as long as plays don't die on his stick, he's a net positive. He just needs to play within his means and he'll be a good player outside of fighting

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I think Wifi would be pretty effective on the right. I wish they would try Guhle-Xhekaj one game just to see how it looks and put Struble with Matheson. Guhle is just not made for the right side long-term.

Guhle-Xhekaj
Matheson-Struble
Hutson-Savard

However they pair them, I think that these are the six starting defencemen with Barron slotted as the seventh.

If they play to their abilities, this will be the strength of the team until the host of promising forwards arrive.

If anything, the team with a strong first line plus Dach, Newhook and Laine when he recovers, playing in front of what should be one of the league’s more mobile defence and competent goaltending will be competitive most nights.

They were last year.

 

[HabsAddict]

Not sure why you’re lumping Hage in there. He’s not exactly physical. Also getting ahead of yourself with Thorpe. He needs to show he’s better in the CHL before we pencil him into an NHL lineup. In fact, despite his size, he’s not mean. 30 PIMs last season.

Hage played a lot tougher game in the second year of USHL and according to McCagg.

Thorpe showed a tougher side when he was paired with Tuch and Little X. Not expecting much more from him then a bottom 6 energy guy.

 

[jrom]

Hopefully he keeps improving to solidify a regular spot on the roster. Wish we had more toughness on the forwards so he could focus on playing hard and only fighting the real heavyweights.

Will need him for all the incoming cheap shots on Hutson :/

N.B. pretty sure in one of his podcast interviews he mentionned we had boxing training (someone was suggesting it)

 

[JJ68]

If you hate X and the Habs, buy truckloads more of that hate because you wont like what the Habs will ice in a few years.

When Tuch, Hage, Thorpe and Little X are bottom 6, it's going to be a nasty place to play. First off, it will be the biggest team in the league and match the toughest team the Habs have ever iced in our history.

Most of you are too young to remember the mid 70s Habs teams, but those were the toughest teams in NHL history. They also had multiple superstars we don't have now, but they certainly had toughness.

75-76....Riseborough, Lapointe, Tremblay, P Mahavolich, P Bouchard, Robinson, Chartraw, VonBoxmeer....and the rest would gladly fire pucks at your head. It was a team built to win...ANY way you want to play it.

I hear ya...but I gotta shout out the early 90's Habs....I recall those wars with Buffalo and Boston.

Todd Ewen, Mario Roberge, Lyle Odelein, Mike Keane Turner Stevenson, and Donald Brashear(even though he wasn't really at his toughest then)

And yea we won a cup.

 

[HabsAddict]

I hear ya...but I gotta shout out the early 90's Habs....I recall those wars with Buffalo and Boston.

Todd Ewen, Mario Roberge, Lyle Odelein, Mike Keane Turner Stevenson, and Donald Brashear(even though he wasn't really at his toughest then)

And yea we won a cup.

Nah...70s still had the toughest.

In the 70 team you can throw in Fergy, Tardiff, P Mahovolich, Harper, Lapoint, Larose, Roberto, Bouchard, Harris...even 165 pound Houle would resort to stick work. From this lot, Fergy, Harper, Harris and Bouchard would drop their gloves if you looked at them sideways.

In a few years we probably will have Little X, X and Mailman as legitimate, ready to drop them heavyweights, then Guhle, Tuch, Struble as middleweight. I won't count Dach and Slaf because they "shouldn't" fight.

Of anyone outside our current crop, I would love to have Olivier and Bennett instead of Pezzetta and Anderson.

 

[JianYang]

Let's not forget that Jaroslav Halak carried that team and the timely goal-scoring of Mike Cammalleri. It was good to have toughness but we lived and died with Jaro.

Cammalleri led the entire playoff in goals that year. You only need two or three fingers to count how many other players in the history of the league scored more goals in the playoffs than cammalleri in 2010 without reaching the final.

It was a historic run for cammalleri but completely overshadowed by the heroics of halak.

 

[Rapala]

Give this man some help. He cannot do it all by himself.

We've been saying the same thing for over a year now.
I don't think anyone is listening.

 

[Saundies]

People worried he's going to just be a goon.. don't put him in the same box as the rest of the league (whos fans clearly don't ever watch the Habs) put him in.

The guy can play and he knows he'll have to in order to stay in the lineup. We have a crazy amount of guys coming up pushing for spots. He's not going to be taking 7 minute penalties in the regular season costing us games or throwing cheap shots because someone said something to him earlier.

I get fans want him riding the line but this is where some type of coaching has to come into it. I think he'll be fine, personally, but if not hopefully Marty is there to straighten him out.

 

[Rapala]

People worried he's going to just be a goon.. don't put him in the same box as the rest of the league (whos fans clearly don't ever watch the Habs) put him in.

The guy can play and he knows he'll have to in order to stay in the lineup. We have a crazy amount of guys coming up pushing for spots. He's not going to be taking 7 minute penalties in the regular season costing us games or throwing cheap shots because someone said something to him earlier.

I get fans want him riding the line but this is where some type of coaching has to come into it. I think he'll be fine, personally, but if not hopefully Marty is there to straighten him out.

The problem is sooner or later someone is going to run one of our star players.
It's really not a question of if it's a question of when.
Ideally he's on the ice and can react taking a two at most but getting a message across to both teams.
Unfortunately he's far more likely to be on the bench so if someone else doesn't step in can he let it go?
The retaliation when it's two shifts later is always going get cracked down hard on.