Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj: The Sheriff

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The hardest thing for a defenseman is making the decision of following a forward to the wrong side.

X made a few of them and since he didn't win the puck battle, he looked out of position.

I like to see him step up the energy level in the corners without killing someone AND work on his shot. With so much power, 100 mph is within reach.
 
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The hardest thing for a defenseman is making the decision of following a forward to the wrong side.

X made a few of them and since he didn't win the puck battle, he looked out of position.

I like to see him step up the energy level in the corners without killing someone AND work on his shot. With so much power, 100 mph is within reach.

Everything is in reach for Gigaczech.
 
He seemed to be up on the play quite a bit tonight! The hit he made on his opening shift was awesome, he’s only a kid but he has man strength. Got caught up badly a couple times that lead to two breakaways, but really appreciated how MSL didn’t bench him. Just missed scoring a couple times and had a wonderful set up to Gallagher who couldn’t finish. Also blocked a shot that looked like a sure goal. Very solid first game that showed lots of positives and some things he has to work on. Didn’t seem to have many nerves, he’s going to be a big part of this team.
 
I think it's clear he's going down when Matheson or Eddy are back.

He was okay but he let too many people get behind him tonight and nearly killed Allen getting beat inside.
Perhaps. But its interesting to note that the Costco Comet had more scoring chances than all the other defencemen. His straightline speed in supporting the rush was impressive. Whether for a big man or otherwise.
 
Not so sure about that, they might send Harris down to give him PP minutes.

They can give him PP minutes in Montreal. Harris has played really well in the NHL every game now and has made offensive plays.

Xhekaj will need to cut down some of those mistakes otherwise Laval will be better cause confidence gets hurt, you can see how bad he felt on the bench during the penalty shot.
 
They can give him PP minutes in Montreal. Harris has played really well in the NHL every game now and has made offensive plays.

Xhekaj will need to cut down some of those mistakes otherwise Laval will be better cause confidence gets hurt, you can see how bad he felt on the bench during the penalty shot.
When Matheson will get back they'll go with him and Wideman so no place for Harris.
 
Arber is WYSIWYG IMO, he could develop some offense later in his career but Harris has a lot more potential.
Harris is more NHL ready though and I'm not sure he's gonna learn more in the AHL. The game doesn't look to go to fast for him

Xhakaj does need time, to much mental mistakes and you can see that the game is going fats for him defensively.
 
Arber is WYSIWYG IMO, he could develop some offense later in his career but Harris has a lot more potential.

The point I'm trying to make is it isn't about sending down who has the higher potential right now. It's about managing confidence and ability to play at this level.

If you look at the two, disregarding opportunity, who is going to struggle more being in the NHL? Right now, it's Xhekaj. So he's the first guy you send down to preserve his confidence and give him top 4 minutes in the AHL to develop further.

Harris showed time and time again he's more than capable to be a NHL defenseman. So he's not going to risk confidence staying up, he just might miss some PP touches which we can still manufacture and will be able to give him later in Laval.
 
The point I'm trying to make is it isn't about sending down who has the higher potential right now. It's about managing confidence and ability to play at this level.

If you look at the two, disregarding opportunity, who is going to struggle more being in the NHL? Right now, it's Xhekaj. So he's the first guy you send down to preserve his confidence and give him top 4 minutes in the AHL to develop further.

Harris showed time and time again he's more than capable to be a NHL defenseman. So he's not going to risk confidence staying up, he just might miss some PP touches which we can still manufacture and will be able to give him later in Laval.
Arber's pulse is 70 24/7, my guy! Clearly, you have no idea what you're talking about!
 
I loved Xhekaj first game.

And as MSL said in his presser, the only way to learn, it’s in the trenches.
 
I think it's clear he's going down when Matheson or Eddy are back.

He was okay but he let too many people get behind him tonight and nearly killed Allen getting beat inside.

Yeah, that's what I saw too... having said that, TO is very good at doing getting behind the D. I'm curious to see how he adjusts... but I agree he was definitely having a hard time keeping up at times.
 

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