Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj: The Sheriff

[Estimated_Prophet]

Think you're missing the gist of the post. Most around here would probaly not even know Marley.

My bad! I saw the Clapton Album and thought I was in the music thread.

Most of the younger generation absolutely know who Marley is though........He is as recognizable as Elvis and is certainly listened to by the youth far more than Elvis.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Remember when he told Markov and Radulov to go buy a dog for loyalty and then he signed superstar Karl Alzner? Good times eh?

Remember when he signed Chariot and the haters were out in full force, then Chariot yielded us a 1st round pick and people think Hughes is some kind of magician? Nevermind that Chiarot was also the one to spot Xhekaj.

Good times.

 

[donghabs98]

 

[Sagikev]

He's not a dman, he's a demon

 

[Habano]

Players that play a tough game are a very valuable asset to have on any team and although teams have tried to move away from the enforcer we continue to see instances where it would be good to have that presence. There are many players in the NHL that will take liberties with skilled players but mostly because there is no one on the opposing bench that will take them to task for it. I like having it and especially in the form of a player that actually has the skill to play a solid game and not just be a goon.

^^^This, we can't send him down, he makes everyone on the team play like they're 4" taller! CC is 5'11" now

 

[Runner77]

Liking Arber getting the advance intel on a prospective opponent.

No different than Owen Beck learning counterpart tendencies in order to dominate faceoffs.

 

[26Mats]

I look forward to Pez getting in the lienup. He may surprise. He's got to cut down on his turnovers though.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

I wouldn't be too excited about him beating up a guy for no reason. But Kassian deserved it for running Montemabault because he knew there was no one on the Habs who could do anything about it. Guess what Kassian - revenge is a dish best served cold.

Remember when he signed Chariot and the haters were out in full force, then Chariot yielded us a 1st round pick and people think Hughes is some kind of magician? Nevermind that Chiarot was also the one to spot Xhekaj.

Good times.

Yes MB was able to pick up and trade for some good players. He was unable to build a complete team and probably had no idea how to do it.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

When someone eventually takes him down,this will be their song.lol

The other song that played the summer Clapton's did currently applies to Xhekaj. Taking Care of Business (working overtim) - Bachman Turner Overdrive.

 

[Runner77]

I look forward to Pez getting in the lienup. He may surprise. He's got to cut down on his turnovers though.

Who does Pez have to prevail upon for playing time? Not exactly world beaters — the deadwood getting ice time have turnover tendencies of their own.

It’s just looking like Marty is playing deadwood over Pez on account of management preference, maybe to facilitate a trade.

 

[Retired]

Who does Pez have to beat out for playing time? Not exactly world beaters — the deadwood being played have turnover tendencies of their own.

It’s just looking like Marty is playing deadwood over Pez on account of management preference, maybe to facilitate a trade.

Yeah I’m sure they are setting out the tables for the yard sale. They should label the deadwood “Antiques Price: negotiable”

 

[Runner77]

Oops, wrong thread.

 

[themilosh]

John Erskine was okay and beat up Lucic

actually I named forwards as enforcers, but normally the enforcer tends to be a dMan in todays NHL as they tend to be bigger, stronger and meaner (not to mention no pressure on points). I would say if Arber can just become a Chara that would be ideal.. no pressure.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

BGL was on Marinaro's podcast. While he thinks Xman's fighting will help protect the young guys and make them feel a lot more confident on the ice, he thinks he lacks technic and could get caught at this point. Said he would love the opportunity to work with him.

I hope he does. BGL is known as a great teacher that other tough guys would actually hire to work with. One of his big things was that if you aren’t on skates it’s not very helpful. But it’s hard to train fighting on skates unless you make the time.

 

[themilosh]

I agree with you but we see more cheap shots in the game today than we did 5-10 years ago because guys like Kassian and Wilson know that there aren't many players around anymore that can stand up to them. I like that we have AX, he will only get better as a player and so will those around him, simply because he is there.

yes agreed. that was my point, it is even more pronounced in today's game with the lack of on-ice Sheriffs. Tom Wilson alone upended the NYR in the playoffs, which lead to a massive upheaval of their entire organization. Kreider basically took out the Habs, etc.... with Jackeye on our squad we wont need to worry about guys taking cheap shots at Slaf... and guess what happened after Arber stepped in: Goal Slaf!!

reality is when Kreider took out Price, it should have been an all out bench clearing, fight to the death brawl.

 

[JianYang]

He reminds me of a lefthanded Komisarek with his physical domination... But contrary to Komisarek, he can fight, which makes him special... Now, if we could find another Markov...

Markov is missed to this day. We take his longetivity for granted but he was true blue #1 that could do it all.

I live on the west coast, and I'm trying to think if the Canucks ever had that real top end Dman in their 50 years of existence. I'm not sure they have. Maybe ohlund was closest.

They certainly don't grow on trees.

 

[HostileCapSpace]

Remember when he told Markov and Radulov to go buy a dog for loyalty and then he signed superstar Karl Alzner? Good times eh?

The amount of times that quote was misinterpreted. He said it in the sense that he couldn't expect loyalty from free agents (in this case Radulov). There's reasons to dislike MB but I'm just tired of seeing this quote used wrong. He was right, just because he brought back Radulov to the NHL didn't mean he could re-sign him for cheap. That's it. Some players can be loyal/take small discounts, but you can't plan expecting it as a GM.

 

[Mrb1p]

No one has heard from him but just by reading his posts, one would have to think that he was in his late 70s or even 80s. He might have moved on to the next life/dimension/frequency. I wish him well wherever he is.

Sbah and teufelsdreck hasnt been around sincr the migration, could be they just couldnt recover their accounts.

 

[Beaker]

Its fun to see the amount of love a mean defensemen gets - not only in Montreal but across the league.

 

[Tyson]

The amount of times that quote was misinterpreted. He said it in the sense that he couldn't expect loyalty from free agents (in this case Radulov). There's reasons to dislike MB but I'm just tired of seeing this quote used wrong. He was right, just because he brought back Radulov to the NHL didn't mean he could re-sign him for cheap. That's it. Some players can be loyal/take small discounts, but you can't plan expecting it as a GM.

The amount of times that quote was misinterpreted. He said it in the sense that he couldn't expect loyalty from free agents (in this case Radulov). There's reasons to dislike MB but I'm just tired of seeing this quote used wrong. He was right, just because he brought back Radulov to the NHL didn't mean he could re-sign him for cheap. That's it. Some players can be loyal/take small discounts, but you can't plan expecting it as a GM.

Is this the Arber Xhekaj thread?

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

The presence of such a player on the team makes me realise the Habs are slowly building a complete team.

 

[Matthew McConaughay]

Its fun to see the amount of love a mean defensemen gets - not only in Montreal but across the league.

Because, every team wants a player like this, they're rare, especially when they're good at playing hockey .

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

The amount of times that quote was misinterpreted. He said it in the sense that he couldn't expect loyalty from free agents (in this case Radulov). There's reasons to dislike MB but I'm just tired of seeing this quote used wrong. He was right, just because he brought back Radulov to the NHL didn't mean he could re-sign him for cheap. That's it. Some players can be loyal/take small discounts, but you can't plan expecting it as a GM.

It doesn't matter what he meant or even that he was right. He should never have said it.

 

[Matthew McConaughay]

Maybe we should sign his brother too, didn't know he had a brother.

Brantford Bulldogs

hamiltonbulldogs.com

 

[loudi94]

All this is doing is laying the groundwork for him to have a long NHL career. As time passes, he will have created more space for himself on the ice allowing him to make plays, players will avoid going into his corner as a first option, the battles in front of the net will be more respectful….he doesn’t need to fight Reaves, Wilson or Lucic, he just needs to be a guy that will punish you consistently.