The final verdict is in for Arber Xhekaj and the D-core and it's another turn of events
There have been a few twists and turns in the last few hours concerning the Montreal Canadiens' defensive brigade.
Let's make a clear summary.
- On Saturday, following Mike Matheson's return to action, Martin St-Louis mentioned that there would be a rotation of three defensemen, to alternate the presence in the stands (Jordan Harris was removed from the lineup)
- Yesterday, Arber Xhekaj was on a pair with Chris Wideman (who is not supposed to be in the rotation). So he was "an extra".
- This morning, to everyone's surprise, Martin St-Louis changed his duos. It's very rare that we normally see that, but well, he shuffled his cards between yesterday and today.
- Arber Xhekaj was paired with Johnatan Kovacevic, and Jordan Harris was paired with Chris Wideman (like before Saturday's game).
- Everyone assumed that Wideman and Harris would be left out, as St. Louis was talking about a three-man rotation.
- Finally, we just learned that, even though Xhekaj has been moved with Kovacevic, surprisingly it is this duo that will be in the stands.
Verdict:
A surprising, but interesting decision. So Wideman is (finally) in the rotation as well, and will take away minutes from young Xhekaj and Kovacevic.
That should be a relief to the pro-Harris crowd."
- Marc Antoine Godin
There's no doubt about the verdict anymore, Martin St-Louis just confirmed it in a press briefing:
More details to follow!
| POLL | ||
Do you think Chris Wideman deserves to be in the rotation with Xhekaj, Kovacevic and Harris? | ||
| Yes | 73 | 39.5 % |
| No | 112 | 60.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
