Arber Xhekaj's spot in the Canadiens lineup isn't set in stone and the reason is revealed
Earlier today, we learned that defenseman Arber Xhekaj is in the Montreal Canadiens' top six on defense.
At least, for now.
This is obviously great news for his fans, and we're thrilled about it, but it has just been revealed that this should not be considered a decision made by Martin St-Louis.
Less than 20 minutes into practice, Jayden Struble (who had a treatment day yesterday) had to leave, he was visibly injured.
A choice between Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble for Martin St-Louis
St-Louis has yet to make a decision on this matter.
For now, Xhekaj seems to be in the lineup «by default,» and we'll have to wait until Struble returns to action before we can truly see which of the two will be used as the seventh defenseman.
All indications suggest that when everyone is healthy on defense, it will simply be a rotation (a rotation based on merit).
As for Justin Barron, he seems to have his spot almost guaranteed since he is the only right-handed defenseman among the three, which tips the balance, especially since Martin St-Louis wants to keep his defensemen on their strong sides this year.
This is a situation to watch, but I truly believe both defensemen (Xhekaj and Struble) can bring an interesting dimension to MSL's lineup, and on top of that, they're both very tough players who are loved by their teammates.
Let's just note that the top-six for tomorrow night, barring a major turn of events, will be as follows:
Hutson - Savard
Xhekaj - Barron
And if it were your decision, who would be on the third defensive pair?
| POLL | ||
Do you believe that Martin St-Louis should consider playing Jayden Struble on the right side and leave Justin Barron as the 7th defenseman? | ||
| Yes | 335 | 55.9 % |
| No, we keep them each on their strong side | 264 | 44.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
