Confirmed with Link: Slafkovsky, Guhle, Harris and Xhekaj made the team!!

[Captain97]

So I'm guessing our dcor will start as

Matheson - Kovacevic
Guhle - Savard
Xhekaj - Harris
Wideman


Once Eddy is back I'd run

Matheson - Eddy
Guhle - Savard
Xhekaj - Kovacevic
Wideman

 

[Picaroon]

I feel like Xhekaj is going to make it really difficult to send him down. His physical skill set is pretty much irreplaceable.

 

[HuGort]

Surprised Barron was cut. Must be quite a blow to him. I thought he had good camp

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

I feel like Xhekaj is going to make it really difficult to send him down. His physical skill set is pretty much irreplaceable.

Depends on how that pickup from Winnipeg does.

Harris and Xhekaj pretty much made it because we don't have anything else. Same with the Jets pick up.

Team is going to give up a llllllllot of goals.

 

[Hins77]

Barron is waiver free. So Montreal won’t lose him for nothing. I prefer to have Barron on first pair in Laval. And Wideman as 7th dman in Montreal. He is still pretty young. I didnt lose faith on him.

 

[Kennerback]

Can someone absolutely confirm that Harris is kept up and Barron is sent down?

 

[Redux91]

View attachment 592204

Congrats to all 3
We'll see how it goes with Juraj, could easily get AHL time
But pumped for Guhle and Xhekaj man, let's see how they handle earlyish NHL pressure baby

 

[Wats]

I feel like Xhekaj is going to make it really difficult to send him down. His physical skill set is pretty much irreplaceable.

Don't think that's a good reason to keep him up. Needing size/physicality reminds me of why Tinordi was rushed.

 

[Picaroon]

Depends on how that pickup from Winnipeg does.

Harris and Xhekaj pretty much made it because we don't have anything else. Same with the Jets pick up.

Team is going to give up a llllllllot of goals.

Disagree with that. Xhekaj made the team because he played awesome. There were several players with NHL experience vying for the job and he beat them out fair and square. I think he stays for the season myself.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Disagree with that. Xhekaj made the team because he played awesome. There were several players with NHL experience vying for the job and he beat them out fair and square. I think he stays for the season myself.

He was decent - ok. Those other players just suck.

There were a few occasions where you could see Xhekaj had no idea what to do, went out of position and made a sequence of terrible passes.

A shit team like this with no depth you'll see him and the whole d squad exposed numerous times per night unless they can magically get it together, play a defensive 1st, 2nd and 3rd system and play it to a T

 

[Redux91]

Does Kovasevic also make the team? I guess we have no choice there?
Want him to get some NHL games, get to the bottom of this guy early lol

 

[MXD]

Come to think of it, starting the season with Harris as the 7th D-Men makes sense IF Matheson is to be ready quite soon (read : not much before the AHL season starts), as it's still training camp in Laval.

 

[Kennerback]

Don't think that's a good reason to keep him up. Needing size/physicality reminds me of why Tinordi was rushed.

Even if Xhekaj couldn’t fight, he still had a better camp than Barron and Harris. They had the inside track, and it might have been a question of nerves, but esp Barron blew it.

 

[Picaroon]

Don't think that's a good reason to keep him up. Needing size/physicality reminds me of why Tinordi was rushed.

I don't remember Tinordi ever looking as good as Xhekaj. Being tall and an average skater were basically his only NHL traits. He was also yo-yo'd for like 3 years then they traded him. It seems so far that the new management team has a little bit more foresight.

 

[morhilane]

Can someone absolutely confirm that Harris is kept up and Barron is sent down?

It's official. Habs twitter had the list of players reassigned to Laval and Barron was on it. Harris is on the official roster and was at practices paired with Savard today.

 

[Redux91]

Surprised Barron was cut. Must be quite a blow to him. I thought he had good camp

20 yrs old until November 20
He'll be fine lol
Just need more seasoning, he doesnt STINK, just still young

 

[Nicko999]

Let's get real, Slaf is a 1st overall pick and was going to start in Montreal even if had a shit camp.
It would be interesting how he does. Hopefully MSL puts him in a great position.

 

[Picaroon]

He was decent - ok. Those other players just suck.

There were a few occasions where you could see Xhekaj had no idea what to do, went out of position and made a sequence of terrible passes.

A shit team like this with no depth you'll see him and the whole d squad exposed numerous times per night unless they can magically get it together, play a defensive 1st, 2nd and 3rd system and play it to a T

No doubt this D will suck. But I find it hard to say that Xhekaj didn't earn a roster spot with his play. Who would you have rather kept?

 

[Goal Caufield50]

I expect one of Harris or Xhekaj will be sent down to Laval once Matheson is good to go.

Do you mean Edmundson

 

[Adam Michaels]

Do you mean Edmundson

Matheson is listed day-to-day.

 

[Goal Caufield50]

Disagree with that. Xhekaj made the team because he played awesome. There were several players with NHL experience vying for the job and he beat them out fair and square. I think he stays for the season myself.

I expect he will go to Laval when Edmundson returns to get ice time and develop

Matheson is listed day-to-day.

So Matheson will start on Wednesday. Cap friendly has him as a scratch not injured reserve.

 

[nhlfan9191]

Let's get real, Slaf is a 1st overall pick and was going to start in Montreal even if had a shit camp.
It would be interesting how he does. Hopefully MSL puts him in a great position.

There’s no harm in giving him his nine games I guess. If he wasn’t a first overall, he wouldn’t be here after his play in the preseason. I’m just hoping if he does struggle they do send him down and don’t just let him drown drown on the big club.

 

[EveryDay]

Matheson is listed day-to-day.

So you expect MTL to carry only 6 defenceman? Because if the are sending Xhekaj or Harris once Matheson come back, it will make the squad at 6 players only, right?

 

[BLONG7]

The feel good story is Arber Xhekaj who went undrafted into the OHL and the NHL and has made the opening night roster.

That is friggin cool!

Was working at Costco last year...........................what a great story.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

No doubt this D will suck. But I find it hard to say that Xhekaj didn't earn a roster spot with his play. Who would you have rather kept?

I'm not trying to say he didn't earn it. He certainly was the least shitty dman out of the group, I'm saying he played ok/well at times and the other d sucked, but ultimately I would have liked to see more awareness and some better passes.

Awareness might be/can be attributed to the lack of direction the team has for a system.

Better passing can be taught. Obviously not the no look passed 2 players right on the tape but the nice first ass can be learned/taught.

I'm excited for him, I'm just hoping the team can get a body back, or acquire someone else and have Xhekaj go down and learn more. The team should be better/better idea as to what is going on.