Vincent Desharnais reunited with Arber Xhekaj? This just came out
The possibility of seeing Vincent Desharnais reunited with Arber Xhekaj is frightening for their future opponents, but it was just suggested by an analyst.
As part of a very interesting piece in which he puts himself in the shoes of General Manager Kent Hughes, analyst Marc-Olivier Beaudoin proposes the following contract signing.
Savard is likely to be traded at the trade deadline, so Desharnais can take over (not saying he's as good as Savard). Having Desharnais on the 3rd pair also allows you to more seriously consider offers for Arber Xhekaj in the short/medium term.
Erik Johnson is another option I'm considering in the very short term if things don't work out with Desharnais to replace Savard's leadership. Alexandre Carrier gets a call from me but might ask for too much compared to what I'd want to give him.» - Marc-Olivier Beaudoin
A third pair composed of Vincent Desharnais and Arber Xhekaj could be very interesting. We currently see it with the Vancouver Canucks and their pair of Nikita Zadorov and Tyler Myers, other teams really don't like facing them.
Signing Vincent Desharnais with the Canadiens and a new partner for Arber Xhekaj?
Desharnais, who would surely become an instant fan favorite, is a 27-year-old right defenseman from Laval.
Desharnais, 6 feet 7 inches and 230 pounds, collected 11 points in 78 games this season with the Oilers, along with 54 penalty minutes. He played in all ten games of the Oilers' 2024 playoff run.
Do you like this proposal from Beaudoin?
In any case, it will be a busy summer for Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton. Desharnais is the kind of low-cost signing that could really energize things and please Montreal Canadiens fans.
It will be great for the show, and besides, Desharnais is an absolutely extraordinary person and teammate.
| POLL | ||
MAI 17 | 664 ANSWERS Vincent Desharnais reunited with Arber Xhekaj? This just came out Would you sign Vincent Desharnais for 3 years at $1.5 million per year? | ||
| Yes | 466 | 70.2 % |
| No | 198 | 29.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
![Feb 12, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) looks on against Team Sweden in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531375.webp "Feb 12, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) looks on against Team Sweden in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
