Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj: The Sheriff

[jrom]

No. There is precisely the same chance of him being cheap shot.

That's the point.

Talentless slugs who exist to perform in the rodeo clown sideshow that is a hockey fight don't deter cheap shots and never have. This has been known for decades.

I disagree, they don't nullify it but prevent excess (like the NYR-WSH game that got Gorton fired).

That said I agree it's not enough to warrant a roster spot if you can't perform the duties of your roster spot. The issue with Xhekaj right now is that he's not playing well on the defensive side, even for what is expected of a 6D.

 

[RabbleMasterBlaster]

There’s no way you watch this team and come away with the conclusion it isn’t lacking in talent.

In what way do u mean this? Every team in the NHL lacks "talent". But this team has better overall quality than any Habs teams in the 2000s. I've seen the Habs play a better team game with far less than this.

What my eyes show me is a lack a structure, something MSL has openly said he hated. Players had seemingly regressed under his watch. The momentum they had at the end of last season is all but gone.

 

[Tyson]

In what way do u mean this? Every team in the NHL lacks "talent". But this team has better overall quality than any Habs teams in the 2000s. I've seen the Habs play a better team game with far less than this.

What my eyes show me is a lack a structure, something MSL has openly said he hated. Players had seemingly regressed under his watch. The momentum they had at the end of last season is all but gone.

Back to square one it seems

 

[Twisted Sinister]

Acciari had no issues playing his game and taking a cheap shot tonight even though 72 was in the lineup.

It was a one goal game and X came for him eventually. Let's see what happens in the next Habs/Pens game. Globally though, X shouldn't be going after Acciari, he should be going after their best players. That's how you actually deter.

He used to hit a lot more before Marty got his hands on him.

No one seems to hit on our team. I agree this seems to be a coaching thing. And also possibly a strength and conditioning thing.

 

[WeThreeKings]

As I said, he'd get in the Penguins game after Struble/Barron didn't stake their claim and he played a very reliable game last night and showed more of his offensive toolkit and played his role at the end of the game.

I would imagine he's still in the line-up on Tuesday barring the NHL continuing to be a joke and suspending him and like rewarding Acciari with a million dollars for headshot to a Habs player.

 

[Rapala]

It was a one goal game and X came for him eventually. Let's see what happens in the next Habs/Pens game. Globally though, X shouldn't be going after Acciari, he should be going after their best players. That's how you actually deter.



No one seems to hit on our team. I agree this seems to be a coaching thing. And also possibly a strength and conditioning thing.

As far as the forwards go the majority of the hitting has to happen on a fore check and ours is non existent.
Just count how many times we don't get beyond the dots in the Ozone on any given foray.
The facility with which we allow teams to come back up ice is disgusting. When we talk about lack of compete this is what it looks like.

 

[417]

It was a one goal game and X came for him eventually. Let's see what happens in the next Habs/Pens game. Globally though, X shouldn't be going after Acciari, he should be going after their best players. That's how you actually deter.

I'm happy he was there at the end of the game, but Acciari was running around all game, Xhekaj’a presence didn't deter him from playing his game.

Which is what we were debating.

As for Xhekaj, he played a safe quiet game tonight, hopefully he can build on that and never come out of the lineup again.

The best version of Arber Xhekaj is no doubt a Dman in the top 6.

 

[Rapala]

I said it before if the team want Xhekaj in the line up they best be prepared to kill the odd penalty and not whine about them.
The penalty he did get called on was bogus but the spear in front of our net was dumb...

if you wonder why Acciari may have been head hunting that might just play into it.
Robidas went to talk to him after he saw the replay blown call that is a 5 for spearing every day of the week.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Only player who gives a f*** and MSL doesn't like that.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Only player who gives a f*** and MSL doesn't like that.

By and large the stupidest narrative on the forum going right now.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

By and large the stupidest narrative on the forum going right now.

When no one else wants to do anything it really isn't.

Someone gets drilled. Meh, we'll score on the pp and then they proceed to not.

If you're going the other way, then it's why is no one else getting healthy scratched for not playing well ?

This team just takes whatever comes their way and won't fight back, whether that's scoring goals and destroying the other ream, which they can't because this team isn't good.

It isn't going out there and finishing their hits.

It isn't fighting back.

It's just taking it.

 

[WeThreeKings]

When no one else wants to do anything it really isn't.

Someone gets drilled. Meh, we'll score on the pp and then they proceed to not.

If you're going the other way, then it's why is no one else getting healthy scratched for not playing well ?

This team just takes whatever comes their way and won't fight back, whether that's scoring goals and destroying the other ream, which they can't because this team isn't good.

It isn't going out there and finishing their hits.

It isn't fighting back.

It's just taking it.

What are you talking about?

Josh Anderson literaly fought Tom Wilson last game after the late hit on Hutson and his other bullshit.

And Barron JUST got healthy scratched for Xhekaj to play.

You are looking for confirmation bias.

 

[HeussLenfoire]

This guy is so bad, he has nothing to do in the NHL. And whoever says the opposite knows nothing about hockey. If you want a goon to protect the players, just put Francis Ngannou on skates, it won’t be a big difference.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

What are you talking about?

Josh Anderson literaly fought Tom Wilson last game after the late hit on Hutson and his other bullshit.

And Barron JUST got healthy scratched for Xhekaj to play.

You are looking for confirmation bias.

Dvorak doesn't get healthy scratched for being terrible.

All the respect to Anderson on that and in my books he gets a lot of breaks for that, but that's literally 1 other person.

The game Barron got hurt in he shouldn't have been playing in given that he hasn't been good either.

Struble got in there with Graves, but he hasn't been good.

Matheson hasn't been good, but no demotion.

Kapanen is still with the team and brings nothing, but he isn't getting sent back to Sweden because the Habs want to bypass that problem by keeping him with the Habs until December.

Pretty much everyone on this team is struggling aside from Hutson, Suzuki and Caufield.

Barron got smoked and Matheson went to talk to Trouba and ended up in a fight. There wasn't a mad dash to get there and at least wrestle him to the ground.

This team is soft as butter in August left outside in the blistering heat.

Team way more often than not just sits there and takes it

 

[OnTheRun]

This guy is so bad, he has nothing to do in the NHL. And whoever says the opposite knows nothing about hockey. If you want a goon to protect the players, just put Francis Ngannou on skates, it won’t be a big difference.

Pretty sure the overarching plan with Xhekaj is to develop a guy that will be able to hold to a roster spot and be able to play regular shifts in the NHL, on top of being able to lay down the laws if needed.

Being able to hold to a roster spot and play regular shifts in the NHL are mandatory prerequisites and laying down the laws is the icing on the cake. People seems to get mad because management aren't in total awe in front of his ability to punch faces, but this is going be waste and a disappointment if Xhekaj end up being the dman equivalent of Pezzetta in term of game impact as skater.

 

[yianik]

As far as the forwards go the majority of the hitting has to happen on a fore check and ours is non existent.
Just count how many times we don't get beyond the dots in the Ozone on any given foray.
The facility with which we allow teams to come back up ice is disgusting. When we talk about lack of compete this is what it looks like.

This is true and important. We don't have a forecheck , and teams steam up ice , through the neutral zone and into our end. And in our end they get gentle nudges instead of being hit with authority which would take them out of the play for a moment and help give us time to get the puck out.

I am not talking about a bunch of enforcer types I am talking about a forecheck where you are on guys tight to slow them coming out and also to create turnovers, a la Lehkonen, Danault. And we need everybody to hit with some authority ( again, not crunching although would be nice ) , and we aren't except for a couple guys. Other teams dominate our end and they need to have to fight to stay around our net / end and they don't.

And we don't need to trade everybody just tell the boys to play tough, which they clearly aren't being told do play that way.

The best style of play we had with Therrien was his first year. We had an aggressive forecheck and aggressive game which resulted in more time in the Ozone and more chances for than against, it was after that year MT began the play not to lose style of play.

 

[The Real Timo]

I was wondering... was there ever an explanation from the league on that play where 2 flyers dropped the gloves and Arbs was the only one that got the penalty?

This is true and important. We don't have a forecheck , and teams steam up ice , through the neutral zone and into our end. And in our end they get gentle nudges instead of being hit with authority which would take them out of the play for a moment and help give us time to get the puck out.

I am not talking about a bunch of enforcer types I am talking about a forecheck where you are on guys tight to slow them coming out and also to create turnovers, a la Lehkonen, Danault. And we need everybody to hit with some authority ( again, not crunching although would be nice ) , and we aren't except for a couple guys. Other teams dominate our end and they need to have to fight to stay around our net / end and they don't.

And we don't need to trade everybody just tell the boys to play tough, which they clearly aren't being told do play that way.

The best style of play we had with Therrien was his first year. We had an aggressive forecheck and aggressive game which resulted in more time in the Ozone and more chances for than against, it was after that year MT began the play not to lose style of play.

Bring back Michael Therrien 3.0!!!!

 

[OldCraig71]

A rebuilding team should be trying all sorts of players in different situations because they need to see what they have which leads me to suggest that they try Arber on the pp. It can't hurt to have a 100 mph slapshot as a shooting option. What do we have to lose?

 

[Sorinth]

A rebuilding team should be trying all sorts of players in different situations because they need to see what they have which leads me to suggest that they try Arber on the pp. It can't hurt to have a 100 mph slapshot as a shooting option. What do we have to lose?

The PP has been one of the few good things this season so we definitely have something to lose.

That said Xhekaj has seen a decent amount of secondary PP time the last few seasons, and it's likely something that had helped his confidence and he could certainly use the confidence boost.

 

[Ajhccwrs]

I for one hate the neutrring to jackeye that msl or habs brass seem to be doing. Let him play his game. We need players like that we have to many emotionless p***ys just floating around. We need the dirty players i get the feeling MSL is trying to build a euro hockey style. No balls no grit just IQ and skill.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

I'm not really worried about MSL taking away his physical game, it's early and we've still seen him go psycho a couple times.

What I am worried about is his defensive game because in the games I've seen he gets beat out wide too much..

I'm also disappointed in his offensive game this year because I thought he had an above average slapshot and 30 point potential

 

[WeThreeKings]

I for one hate the neutrring to jackeye that msl or habs brass seem to be doing. Let him play his game. We need players like that we have to many emotionless p***ys just floating around. We need the dirty players i get the feeling MSL is trying to build a euro hockey style. No balls no grit just IQ and skill.

You know that Arber didn't just put himself on the ice with Acciari at the end of the game, right?

 

[Bacchus1]

What are you talking about?

Josh Anderson literaly fought Tom Wilson last game after the late hit on Hutson and his other bullshit.

And Barron JUST got healthy scratched for Xhekaj to play.

You are looking for confirmation bias.

If Josh Anderson brought more of that moxy to every game, especially on the forecheck, he’d be a beast and possibly one of our best players. He is way too passive. I was certain that be was injured, but then he attacks Tom Wilson demonstrating that nothing is physically wrong with him. Anderson needs to hit more and harder. He has to play more like Tom Wilson to successful. He ain’t no dangler!

 

[Habs Halifax]

The PP has been one of the few good things this season so we definitely have something to lose.

That said Xhekaj has seen a decent amount of secondary PP time the last few seasons, and it's likely something that had helped his confidence and he could certainly use the confidence boost.

Agreed... We can try him on the 2nd unit

If Josh Anderson brought more of that moxy to every game, especially on the forecheck, he’d be a beast and possibly one of our best players. He is way too passive. I was certain that be was injured, but then he attacks Tom Wilson demonstrating that nothing is physically wrong with him. Anderson needs to hit more and harder. He has to play more like Tom Wilson to successful. He ain’t no dangler!

This is where MSL is weak... A vet coach would be all over Anderson and getting him to play with more intensity and you are spot on... He needs to hit more and create more havoc. Stop trying to be a skilled winger.

 

[Mrb1p]

A rebuilding team should be trying all sorts of players in different situations because they need to see what they have which leads me to suggest that they try Arber on the pp. It can't hurt to have a 100 mph slapshot as a shooting option. What do we have to lose?

With Lane Hutson and Guhle we certainly don't need to give him PP time.

I'm not really worried about MSL taking away his physical game, it's early and we've still seen him go psycho a couple times.

What I am worried about is his defensive game because in the games I've seen he gets beat out wide too much..

I'm also disappointed in his offensive game this year because I thought he had an above average slapshot and 30 point potential

He's just trying to survive right now.. what he needs is 30 games without coming out of the lineup or being scared of losing his spot. Same for Struble.