Value of: Arber Xhekaj value in a trade

[conFABulator]

Look at his last game: he was steady, made good calls on the ice, played a simple, complementary shutdown role, and could be a #4 guy if the other 3 are skilled. If Guhle along with 2 of Reinbacher, Hutson and Mailloux are the Habs top 3, Xhekaj could be fine as a top 4.

Whether he can actually become that steady #4 physical D on a regular basis remains an open question, of course.

That's fair, and I am not being negative towards the Habs, but I don't think he could crack the top four on a team with a strong d group.

Now, maybe he could develop into something more than he is currently. He is still young and hasn't even reached the magical "200 games for an NHL defenseman to develop" threshold.

I like the player, but from the limited games I have seen him play his toughness seems to be his biggest asset. A tough dman has value, that player being your enforcer is tough on roster configuration. Every time he has to answer the heavyweight bell it is almost always against another team's 12th F and that is not a good trade to make. Playing with five D while WiFi is in the box for an extended period or ejected is a problem.

I would say this is one of those cases where his value is more the the Habs then to a team that trades for him because of what he MIGHT become.

Timothy Liljegren just got traded for salary back and two mid-picks. He was top four in minutes on a playoff team last year and had a better track record than Xhekaj. I am not comparing the two players in style or even possibly impact. I am saying that it's hard to justify any real value here unless he becomes an actual top four guy. He seems more equal to Simon Benoit (sticking with the Leaf examples) and he is not worth a first or a second round pick by any stretch.

As I said, he could continue to develop and that makes him valuable to the Habs and risky to others.

 

[BLONG7]

Look at his last game: he was steady, made good calls on the ice, played a simple, complementary shutdown role, and could be a #4 guy if the other 3 are skilled. If Guhle along with 2 of Reinbacher, Hutson and Mailloux are the Habs top 3, Xhekaj could be fine as a top 4.

Whether he can actually become that steady #4 physical D on a regular basis remains an open question, of course.

Well said......common sense, with no hate flowing.
HF cracks me up, the generalizing posts and statements, are hilarious.
You have to wonder if people bother to watch the games....

 

[JustAHabFan]

Look at his last game: he was steady, made good calls on the ice, played a simple, complementary shutdown role, and could be a #4 guy if the other 3 are skilled. If Guhle along with 2 of Reinbacher, Hutson and Mailloux are the Habs top 3, Xhekaj could be fine as a top 4.

Whether he can actually become that steady #4 physical D on a regular basis remains an open question, of course.

The problem with Xhekaj is consistency. He probably will be on the 3rd pair with upside of the 2nd pair.

 

[MoneyManny]

 

[pth2]

...Every time he has to answer the heavyweight bell it is almost always against another team's 12th F and that is not a good trade to make. Playing with five D while WiFi is in the box for an extended period or ejected is a problem.

Which is why he needs to become a good enough D to be able to act as a deterrent only and not as a "takes on all comets" tough guy.

There is an advantage to having a D with size and toughness, though. If he is good enough to plat against Tom Wilson or the Tkachuk brothers, he can contain them physically, and if they go overboard, he can take them on, and they know it (lessening the odds they go overboard).

He needs to be like Stéphane Quintal was for the Habs - a top 4 who can take on opposing power forwards. A 6th D pure enforcer isn’t something a winning team wants.

 

[pth2]

The problem with Xhekaj is consistency. He probably will be on the 3rd pair with upside of the 2nd pair.

If he can be part of a regular 3d pairing coaches aren't overly concerned about opposing top lines, that will be a win IMO. Heck, he and Struble could be that pairing if they both keep developping.

My worry with Xhekaj is that he loves the prestige of being a high-end tough guy, focuses on that, big hits, and taking on all comers, rather than becoming a reliable D who is physical when possible but doesn't put his team in bad situations in the process by going for hits that aren't there.

I think any hope he ends up being a top 4 staple that coaches rely upon far too much, with the 3d pairing getting spot duty only (ie, Habs Finals run with Chiarot, Petry, Weber and Edmundson getting way too many minutes), is likely beyond his ability.

 

[HabsAddict]

Some like to ignore that he went from an undrafted OHLer to the NHL. That "big oaf" that no one cared to draft to "will he be a top 4"...or "can be a top 4".

This is where you are missing the lack of development and now his will to be a top 4. It wont be some miracle change where he's going to win a skate off with Hutson, but a gradual cut down of mistakes and increase of physicality and offence.

Come back in 2 years and crow how he hasn't developed...or admit that it takes time to develop and he's a top 4 on any team. Maybe even better.

I'm old enough to remember when Chara was considered a big goon with the Isles and got traded. 5 years later he's leading the Bruins defense. It wasn't his skating or his vision, it was simply an increase awareness and of learning to use his size to best advantage.

 

[dgibb10]

Some like to ignore that he went from an undrafted OHLer to the NHL. That "big oaf" that no one cared to draft to "will he be a top 4"...or "can be a top 4".

This is where you are missing the lack of development and now his will to be a top 4. It wont be some miracle change where he's going to win a skate off with Hutson, but a gradual cut down of mistakes and increase of physicality and offence.

Come back in 2 years and crow how he hasn't developed...or admit that it takes time to develop and he's a top 4 on any team. Maybe even better.

I'm old enough to remember when Chara was considered a big goon with the Isles and got traded. 5 years later he's leading the Bruins defense. It wasn't his skating or his vision, it was simply an increase awareness and of learning to use his size to best advantage.

Chara was a great dman in New York too.

This is a pathetic attempt to try and pretend chara wasn't good until he was 27 or something. He was a 1st pairing dman at age 22

 

[conFABulator]

Which is why he needs to become a good enough D to be able to act as a deterrent only and not as a "takes on all comets" tough guy.

There is an advantage to having a D with size and toughness, though. If he is good enough to plat against Tom Wilson or the Tkachuk brothers, he can contain them physically, and if they go overboard, he can take them on, and they know it (lessening the odds they go overboard).

He needs to be like Stéphane Quintal was for the Habs - a top 4 who can take on opposing power forwards. A 6th D pure enforcer isn’t something a winning team wants.

I agree with all of this. He is not that player yet, but the Habs and their fanbase hope he can become that. A team won't pay top value to trade for that hope.

 

[CTHabsfan]

Chara was a great dman in New York too.

This is a pathetic attempt to try and pretend chara wasn't good until he was 27 or something. He was a 1st pairing dman at age 22

Chara was not a "great dman in New York". His last season in New York (at age 24) was 2-7-9 in 82 games. His previous season was 2-9-11 in 65 games, with both seasons being -27. His game improved significantly in Ottawa, however the Senators thought Wade Redden was more valuable.

I agree with all of this. He is not that player yet, but the Habs and their fanbase hope he can become that. A team won't pay top value to trade for that hope.

And a team with plenty of draft picks and not a lot of toughness won't trade Xhekaj for less than top value, so I guess there's nothing left here to discuss.

 

[Golden_Jet]

His game improved significantly in Ottawa, however the Senators thought Wade Redden was more valuable.

Actually they didn’t, Redden and Chara were both offered 6 million to keep both players, Redden said he would do it, Chara wouldn’t, With a salary cap just new in the NHL, they couldn’t just give them more

After Chara declined they gave Redden 6.5
Also Chara was mad they moved his countryman Hossa.

 

[dgibb10]

Chara was not a "great dman in New York". His last season in New York (at age 24) was 2-7-9 in 82 games. His previous season was 2-9-11 in 65 games, with both seasons being -27. His game improved significantly in Ottawa, however the Senators thought Wade Redden was more valuable.


And a team with plenty of draft picks and not a lot of toughness won't trade Xhekaj for less than top value, so I guess there's nothing left here to discuss.

"The senators thought wade redden was more valuable"

Redden got a 2 year 13 mill deal.
Chara got a 5 year, 37.5 mill deal.

Actually they didn’t, Redden and Chara were both offered 6 million to keep both players, Redden said he would do it, Chara wouldn’t, With a salary cap just new in the NHL, they couldn’t just give them more

After Chara declined they gave Redden 6.5
Also Chara was mad they moved his countryman Hossa.

This weird retroactive bs about chara not being elite until boston from some people is so hilarious.

He signed 7.5 mill AAV when the cap was at 44 mill the first year of that deal.

The equivalent of a player signing for 15.7 mill AAV this coming offseason.

Chara was a top pairing dman in New York.
He was a norris conversation dman in Ottawa.
He was a norris winning dman in Boston

 

[Golden_Jet]

"The senators thought wade redden was more valuable"

Redden got a 2 year 13 mill deal.
Chara got a 5 year, 37.5 mill deal.


This weird retroactive bs about chara not being elite until boston from some people is so hilarious.

He signed 7.5 mill AAV when the cap was at 44 mill the first year of that deal.

The equivalent of a player signing for 15.7 mill AAV this coming offseason.

Chara was a top pairing dman in New York.
He was a norris conversation dman in Ottawa.
He was a norris winning dman in Boston

Not sure why you quoted me,
Were you disagreeing with me or agreeing, it’s hard to tell. I think agreeing.

I do agree Chara was good in Ottawa.
I was dispelling the habs reason about Wade.

 

[Heldig]

Right now WiFi is a 6th / 7th Dman on a bottom 5 team. Not worth a ton. The idea of him continuing to improve his overall game while still being a menace s/b attractive to many teams. Montreal included.

His worth is probably a 3rd rounder. The idea of him could be worth a second rounder or a better player from a team needing physicality and willing to see if he can be more.

 

[HuGo Sham]

Right now WiFi is a 6th / 7th Dman on a bottom 5 team. Not worth a ton. The idea of him continuing to improve his overall game while still being a menace s/b attractive to many teams. Montreal included.

His worth is probably a 3rd rounder. The idea of him could be worth a second rounder or a better player from a team needing physicality and willing to see if he can be more.

Hughes isn't trading him for a 3rd and is more than willing to develop him and see if he can be more

 

[KevinRedkey]

I doubt Montreal would trade Wifi for 13th overall.

Because you think they shouldn't?
Because you think they're that stupid?
or both?

 

[Heldig]

Hughes isn't trading him for a 3rd and is more than willing to develop him and see if he can be more

I agree. The value is not worth it because the risk he becomes a legit top 6 D that scares the beejeebus out of the opposition.

 

[Voight]

I guess there are a lot of people in here who can't read.

Chara drafted 56th

Check his stats at 23 with the islanders....82 games...9 points...157 pm

For 4 years he went nowhere with the Islanders and broke out with the Sens.

How old is Xhekaj? He may develop...or NOT. But the reaction is ignorant of hockey history. .

Zdeno Chara Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Zdeno Chara, a hockey player from Trencin, Slovakia born Mar 18 1977 who was active from 1996 to 2022.

www.hockeydb.com

Reading is hard....

Ciara was on the Islanders top pairing at 22 and averaged more TOI than all but one other defensemen (lead #3 by three minutes)

David Pagnotta isn't that reliable of a source as he's usually wrong. Given how Hughes seems to leak things to various reporters that never materialize I think He just uses guys like him to stir the pot and boost interest.

totally fine if you think he's trustworthy though.

Hughes also leaked that he turned down a 1st round pick for Josh Anderson, which was absurd and something that definitely didn't happen.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I tried to look up his stats so I could give my always excellent and never just stat watching opinion, but I typed in his name and now puckpedia thinks I'm a bot.

Thanks jerk!

 

[HuGort]

Because you think they shouldn't?
Because you think they're that stupid?
or both?

Wifi developing into a good D. Unless somebody there I really like doubt I make the move.

 

[HabsAddict]

Ciara was on the Islanders top pairing at 22 and averaged more TOI than all but one other defensemen (lead #3 by three minutes)



Hughes also leaked that he turned down a 1st round pick for Josh Anderson, which was absurd and something that definitely didn't happen.

You know because you are a GM and get inside info. Or are you a telepath?

Chiara was a third part of a package. His value rose after that trade.

Now move along...

 

[DJN21]

Which is why he needs to become a good enough D to be able to act as a deterrent only and not as a "takes on all comets" tough guy.

There is an advantage to having a D with size and toughness, though. If he is good enough to plat against Tom Wilson or the Tkachuk brothers, he can contain them physically, and if they go overboard, he can take them on, and they know it (lessening the odds they go overboard).

He needs to be like Stéphane Quintal was for the Habs - a top 4 who can take on opposing power forwards. A 6th D pure enforcer isn’t something a winning team wants.

Wait...what?

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

Wait...what?

He fights in space in the off season

 

[Voight]

You know because you are a GM and get inside info. Or are you a telepath?

Chiara was a third part of a package. His value rose after that trade.

Now move along...

Chara was still a top four defensemen at the time he didn't "go nowhere in four years" he was one of the Islanders best defensemen.

Sure his value rose. Defensemen typically hit their stride in their late 20s and in Ottawa he refined his game to become a Norris contender. He was also on a much better team with much better management and coaching, rather than the tire fire that was the Mike Milbury Islanders.

 

[Xirik]

He fights in space in the off season