Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj: The Sheriff

[Artaud]

Hire the best beat coach available and a translator lol. Get with the 2000s. F the French media.

This stupid take again...

It will never happen. They will never F the French media, it's by their biggest audience. This is just a reality. If you don't like it, pick a team who's fanbase isn't French. You have your pick of every other team in the league.

Regarding Xhekaj, I think it's clear that without him in the lineup, this team will get bullied. I would not be surprised if they traded for a bottom-6 enforcer just to be able to sit this kid.

 

[Canadienna]

Technically, MSL didn't call Xhekaj out, he was answering a question asked about Xhekaj to a journalist. Maybe the fans should ask the media why they never ask questions about Dvorak or Matheson.

We'll to be fair, Dvorak and Matheson hadn't been sitting, which is what precipitated the question.

And I think it's fair to characterize MSL's comments as calling him out. He didn't have to answer the way he did.

Though like I said, calling him out isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Habs13]

The part of his comment about Xhekaj not being a rookie anymore is true but he has barely played 100 NHL games. Not sure why he appears to not be a favorite of MSL.

One thing I saw a media pundit mention was that the team seems to be ok with losing and just look disinterested. Are they starting to tune MSL out?

...Umm, Marty, bruv... you're not a f***ing rookie coach anymore either, pal. Careful what fingers you start pointing.

 

[habdynasty]

This stupid take again...

It will never happen. They will never F the French media, it's by their biggest audience. This is just a reality. If you don't like it, pick a team who's fanbase isn't French. You have your pick of every other team in the league.

Regarding Xhekaj, I think it's clear that without him in the lineup, this team will get bullied. I would not be surprised if they traded for a bottom-6 enforcer just to be able to sit this kid.

Don’t bitch about the French coach then. Stupid

 

[Habs13]

This stupid take again...

It will never happen. They will never F the French media, it's by their biggest audience. This is just a reality. If you don't like it, pick a team who's fanbase isn't French. You have your pick of every other team in the league.

Regarding Xhekaj, I think it's clear that without him in the lineup, this team will get bullied. I would not be surprised if they traded for a bottom-6 enforcer just to be able to sit this kid.

There's such an easy solution to this, too. How many of the current players are Francophones? Hmm. So maybe the team stops playing patsy to the media altogether and prevent coach from talking to the media altogether. Have two or three players show up to press conferences with Robidas or Hughes instead.

 

[Habby4Life]

MSL sucks.

Someone should tell MSL he should do better, ffs.

But what do you expect when you hire a pee wee coach.

 

[Sorinth]

There's such an easy solution to this, too. How many of the current players are Francophones? Hmm. So maybe the team stops playing patsy to the media altogether and prevent coach from talking to the media altogether. Have two or three players show up to press conferences with Robidas or Hughes instead.

I wouldn't be surprised if in 20 years things will be quite different. Traditional media/journalism is dying a slow death, and if Molson was smart he would try to accelerate that process by having the team engage more directly with the fans and skip over the middleman journalists.

For example, a reddit ama type of event after each game where fans can ask questions directly to the coach/players would make a lot of the media's job fairly irrelevant.

 

[Beendair Donedat]

Someone should tell MSL he should do better, ffs.

But what do you expect when you hire a pee wee coach.

Good luck.

MSL is as close to a rockstar as this team has… the media here fawn over him at every turn. If he was to fart in a microphone, the entire crew on L’Antichambre would chip in to buy it

 

[Habby4Life]

Good luck.

MSL is as close to a rockstar as this team has… the media here fawn over him at every turn. If he was to fart in a microphone, the entire crew on L’Antichambre would chip in to buy it

Tide is turning.

 

[Tyson]

Good luck.

MSL is as close to a rockstar as this team has… the media here fawn over him at every turn. If he was to fart in a microphone, the entire crew on L’Antichambre would chip in to buy it

The media in Montreal has always had to kiss the ass of the Habs or they fall out of favor. You never get legitimate tough questions.

 

[Mrb1p]

The part of his comment about Xhekaj not being a rookie anymore is true but he has barely played 100 NHL games. Not sure why he appears to not be a favorite of MSL.

One thing I saw a media pundit mention was that the team seems to be ok with losing and just look disinterested. Are they starting to tune MSL out?

Ive seen Olivier whathisname say that the team has checked out, but I doubt it's because of Martin, I think it's because of the roster and injuries. They know the team sucks, they were excited with Laine but now theres barely anythign to hold onto. I can't blame them.

The team will have to stop losing at some point because those habits are hard to break. I don't like the last two years of the rebuild at all /Demidov.

 

[WeThreeKings]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1850358893861376092

Wow more vicious hatred by Marty toward Arber

 

[MXD]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1850358893861376092

Wow more vicious hatred by Marty toward Arber

I mean, it's not like he'd say "He had an average game" (which he had). Would be constructed as a vote of non-confidence or something.

Still roving too much in the D-Zone and ending up where he shouldn't be. Though he was used on both sides today, and mostly on the right which isn't where he has been playing so far, so he may have a bit mixed up.

Him and Mailloux can absolutely both be assets on the defensive side of the game. Xhekaj has to be really mindful of positionning, while Mailloux will just have to keep it stupid simple.

 

[ryan callahan]

Great game by Xhekaj tonight (for all the **** I give him at times). Would be great to see him string 4-5 good games in a row. I think he and Struble will be key pieces on our bottom 2 pairs for the next 5 years.

 

[Hacketts]

I mean, it's not like he'd say "He had an average game" (which he had). Would be constructed as a vote of non-confidence or something.

Still roving too much in the D-Zone and ending up where he shouldn't be. Though he was used on both sides today, and mostly on the right which isn't where he has been playing so far, so he may have a bit mixed up.

Him and Mailloux can absolutely both be assets on the defensive side of the game. Xhekaj has to be really mindful of positionning, while Mailloux will just have to keep it stupid simple.

He has a ways to go on the defensive side of things.

 

[Beendair Donedat]

Thought he played a solid game tonight, especially since he was used on both sides and with different partners. Habs defense looked like a swingers party tonight, different partners and positions every time they went out there.

Should have been a goal on his big clapper, made one or two bad passes, the one that missed Matheson and caused a scoring chance stands out, but overall a much tighter game tonight. Didn’t chase the big hit, no bad penalties, physical and skated well. A good game to turn things around.

 

[KevSkillz4]

I'm a big believer of Xhekaj, he just need to continue like that. This guy just need consistency. Because he have all tools to become a great D-man. I really like him.

 

[OldCraig71]

He played okay from what I saw, he just needs to keep it up.

 

[417]

He still gets beat one on one more often then be should.

At one point Parayko just blew by him way too easily.

Decent game though.

 

[WeThreeKings]

He still gets beat one on one more often then be should.

At one point Parayko just blew by him way too easily.

Decent game though.

I was saying to @JoelWarlord that he's gotten beat wide too many times and they've cut to the net. He should be knocking people's heads off their body if they try to cut to the inside against him.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Marty hates this guy.

Before Saturday’s game, Xhekaj had a conversation with St. Louis. A good conversation. It helped immensely.

Anyone who thought St. Louis hated Xhekaj based on those comments Friday should probably hear Xhekaj talk about that conversation himself.

“I had a good talk with Marty, and it was, just, relax. I was overthinking things. I was too worried about things I couldn’t control. Just clear my mind. I know I’m a good player, so just play the game. And it went well,” Xhekaj said. “He definitely helps me a lot and definitely tells me, like, ‘Just play, man. You know what to do out there. Don’t worry about anything, just play.’

“It feels good to hear that from your coach. So it definitely helped my game.”

 

[phillytennis]

Hire the best beat coach available and a translator lol. Get with the 2000s. F the French media.

There are plenty of coaches that speak French and English....the best coach ever Scotty Bowman is from Montréal (Verdun)...can speak both French and English.
Jim Montgomery...great coach...from Montréal....speaks both French and English.
Plenty of great hockey minds in Québec.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Hoping he can put it together. He’s got too much going for him and we desperately need his type.

 

[HabsAddict]

Comment to a question on another site...
......

Remember the last Incredible Hulk we had in Komisarek? He had huge issue with reading the play and getting beaten on the outside. Season after season in the AHL didn't fix anything.

Then they bring him up and welded him on prime Markov, who was at another level and did the thinking for both of them. It worked for us to a point. When Komisarek got greedy and signed with the Laffs, there was no improvement at all in a decade of playing...and the end of his career in his early 30s.

There was an expectation because of his size...but failed.

I don't want a Komi V2 in X. He's doesn't have the broken Atari that was on Komis head and it's in HIS hands to raise his compete level and cut down on errors. Sadly we don't have a Markov to learn from but he has a longer runway to improve.

Let's see what we have by mid season...

 

[HabsAddict]

I know Marty was blowing a bit of smoke up X derrier to make up taking him down publically, something that should never be done...but...i don't know if i would call X playing "excellent" but pretty good.

One of the things that i don't see is the level of compete that Guhle brings in EVERY game. With X's size and reputation, people should fear death, not a huggy bear. In my cranky eyes he doesn't have a high compete, high energy motor that would make him a top 2.

If you don't have a supercomputer vision of the ice, then max the tools you do have.

Then the next complaint, because I'm a professional complainer, he has 107 mph shot and doing what with it? He should unleash that beast at least 5 times a night if for nothing else, just to maim people. I don't even see him call to shoot.

Reputation as a fighter is worth two wooden nickels if no one drops them with him, but a shot that can maim you at any second, a defenseman that will pulvarize you for fun, a guy everyone hates to be near, THAT will make him valuable and eventually top 4.

He's a work in progress and a really high ceiling that he needs to see in him and strive for it.