Monster trade proposed involving Arber Xhekaj and the Sharks

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Elias Edmonson
March 28, 2024 (5:42 PM)

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As the NHL draft approaches, several significant trade proposals have been submitted to Kent Hughes, including one involving Arber Xhekaj.

It's starting.

The BPM Sports network had kicked things off earlier this week with a massive trade suggestion to acquire the 1st overall pick and Macklin Celebrini. They involved Cole Caufield and the Canadiens' 2024 first-round pick in the transaction.

This new suggestion (with San Jose) comes from the site DansLesCoulisses.

Monster trade between the Habs and the Sharks involving Arber Xhekaj and a 7th overall pick? It has just been proposed on the web

Raphaël Simard's point is perfectly valid and logical.

The San Jose Sharks and the Montreal Canadiens are two teams in rebuild, but with very different needs.

The Habs have an incredible surplus of good young defensemen (and a need for offense), while the Sharks literally have no defensive prospects.

However, they have several very promising young forwards.

«All this to say that the Canadiens need forwards (and have defensemen) and the Sharks need defensemen (and have forwards). The two clubs could help each other, couldn't they?

With David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux, and Lane Hutson about to join the team and a rather young defensive core, Kent Hughes will have decisions to make in the coming months.» - DLC

So far, we are 100% in agreement.

However, here is his more concrete suggestion:

«If Hughes can fetch a forward like William Eklund in exchange for a defenseman like Arber Xhekaj, among others, that would be interesting.

A trade like Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook is not out of the question soon and I'm excited to see if Mike Grier could be the dance partner for the Montreal GM.»

I love William Eklund as a target and like the idea, but I don't think it would be wise to trade Arber Xhekaj.

In addition, the Sharks' GM does not have a superb track record in terms of trades, so Kent Hughes could likely do better than this, in my opinion.

Trading a Jayden Struble, a Jordan Harris, or a Justin Barron (adding the Jets' 2024 first-round pick and a second-round pick) seems to be a much better idea to extract a young forward from the Sharks, but that's for you to judge.

Eklund, 21, is a 7th overall pick in 2021. He has accumulated 34 points, including 12 goals, in 69 games this season with the Sharks.

In their organization, the Sharks also have names like Will Smith (who Kent Hughes is known to admire), Quentin Musty, Filip Bystedt, Thomas Bordeleau, several other young forwards, and in addition, they may potentially draft Ivan Demidov or Macklin Celebrini.

On defense, however, they have nothing.

Simard might have a good lead here...

Credit : DansLesCoulisses - ET SI LE CANADIEN ET LES SHARKS S'AIDAIENT DANS LEUR RECONSTRUCTION?