Xhekaj Finally Speaks Out About Jayden Struble, Who Stole His Spot with the Habs

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Elias Edmonson
December 24, 2023 (10:43)

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Many observers are really wondering when Arber Xhekaj will be able to return to the lineup of the Montreal Canadiens, especially because of Jayden Struble's solid performance.

Did Struble "steal" the Sheriff's chair? How does Xhekaj feel about all this?

Well, the excellent journalist Marc Antoine Godin just published an extremely interesting article to answer all these questions.

Xhekaj seems to really have the right mindset, but he is perfectly aware of what is happening with Struble at the moment.

"He came into the team and he played well. He doesn't make mistakes, he uses his stick well. There's no reason for them to cut him. It's a nice problem for them to have, but obviously, on our side, it pushes us to work harder and to want to win our place." - Arber Xhekaj

Does Xhekaj still watch Habs games (and Jayden Struble), even though he is currently in Laval? See his response:

"Oh, I watch the games...", said Xhekaj.

The games, and Jayden Struble." - Marc-Antoine Godin

Xhekaj should not get discouraged, he must work on the right things, keep a positive attitude and the rest will follow. (That's exactly what he's doing and it's to his credit)

He is not frustrated with the CH's decisions, quite the contrary! He trusts the organization:

"I don't think they want me to be a sixth or seventh defenseman in Montreal. I think they want me to be a leading player who will end up playing 20 minutes, and that I am heading towards that. So, I think I just need to clean up my defensive zone play and hope that it translates up there." - Arber Xhekaj

So he is working very hard to improve his defensive game, and we must not make the mistake of underestimating him!