Elliotte Friedman reveals that a team was very disappointed that Hughes didn't trade Arber Xhekaj

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Elias Edmonson
March 23, 2024 (9:28)

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Martin St-Louis has done a good job with Arber Xhekaj, and we are seeing the results very concretely at this moment.

Now that the trade deadline is a thing of the past, the Canadiens' management will take advantage of the last games of the regular season to evaluate the current roster.

However, some NHL general managers were a bit disappointed that Kent Hughes did not trade one player in particular.

As reported by the site Danslescoulisses.com, the fact that Arber Xhekaj is still a member of the Canadiens has created some disappointment across the NHL, and this was mentioned by insider Elliotte Friedman during an episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast.

"There is definitely disappointment that the Habs kept Arber Xhekaj."

This particularly comes to mind with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Since returning to the main club after his stint with the Laval Rocket, the robust defenseman has been playing excellent hockey, and some journalists have even said that Xhekaj's market value would be similar to that of an Alexander Romanov.

And as you know, some articles were written regarding a possible trade involving Trevor Zegras with the Anaheim Ducks, but that's another story.

But it still raises the question of whether Kent Hughes might have intended to trade Arber Xhekaj during the offseason, when it's quite possible that his value could be slightly better than it was at the trade deadline.

Case to follow, as they say.