Former Canadiens enforcer Georges Laraque believes that the team is preparing to trade the 22-year-old defenseman given recent developments with the young player. The following post has been translated from French.
Many fans, including Laraque, have been intrigued by the way the team has handled the young defender in recent days. The team sent him down to the AHL, supposedly for a conditioning stint despite the fact that he was only dealing with a minor injury and he was only out for a couple of weeks. Typically, players only go on conditioning assignments when they have been gone for several months.
However, the team has also told him that they want him to work on his defensive game, making the reasons for sending him to the AHL a bit more confusing.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been obviously disappointing this year in regards to their toughness. Players like Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, and especially Ryan Reaves were supposed to make the team significantly harder to play against but we have not really seen that happen so far. One player that could change that is certainly Arber Xhekaj.
The 22-year-old could be a perfect fit in Toronto, especially given their need for defensemen. With Mark Giordano out 4-6 weeks, the team's blueline is now among the thinnest in the entire league. That is not good for a team that has serious playoff aspirations. Interestingly, the Leafs have been linked to Xhekaj once already this season.
This does not mean that he will certainly be traded to the Leafs, but it does seem to add up that the Leafs have been taking a look at him this year.
As seen on A trade of Arber Xhekaj to the Toronto Maple Leafs
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6 DECEMBRE | 92 ANSWERS Rumor: Canadiens Preparing To Trade Xhekaj To The Leafs? Do you think the Canadiens are going to trade Xhekaj? | ||
Yes | 32 | 34.8 % |
No | 60 | 65.2 % |
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