It's Confirmed: Arber Xhekaj Makes Martin St-Louis' Top-6 as Canadiens Announce Key Change
We just got our answer regarding Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj.
Barring a major turnaround, Arber Xhekaj will be in the Canadiens top-6 defensemen to start the season and to face the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That's excellent news!
Arber Xhekaj will be in uniform tomorrow
Unless, of course, there's a big change between now and then.
Xhekaj is set to be on the third defensive pair, with Justin Barron, while Jayden Struble will be the 7th defenseman.
This doesn't guarantee his spot long-term, but it confirms the plan is for him to be in uniform for the opening game against the division rivals.
It's likely to be a physical game, and it's great to know that the Sheriff will be there.
At 23 years old, Arber Xhekaj is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound left-shot defenseman who has accumulated 23 points in 95 career NHL games (182 penalty minutes).
If he were a right-shot defenseman, let's just say it would be much less complicated for him to secure his place in the regular lineup every night.
Let's hope he has a good game tomorrow night at the Bell Centre!
Martin St-Louis also announced changes on offense, as young Emil Heineman is expected to play his fifth career game in the NHL, lining up alongside Jake Evans.
His potential should not be overlooked.
Martin St-Louis had plenty of praise for Heineman throughout camp, and now he's backing his words with action.
More details to follow.
| POLL | ||
Who deserves to play 82 games in Montreal the most, in your opinion? | ||
| Arber Xhekaj | 636 | 82.8 % |
| Jayden Struble | 99 | 12.9 % |
| Justin Barron | 33 | 4.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
