The NHL Future Of Enforcer Arber Xhekaj Revealed

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Tyler Ball
October 7, 2023 (0:26)

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The Montreal Canadiens made massive changes to their roster during the 2022 NHL season. This led to a lot of new main contributors in the 2022-23 NHL season.

One of those players was Arber Xhekaj. Many wondered where he fit in with the team this upcoming year and now we have our answer.

Future Of NHL Enforcer Xhekaj Revealed

Arber Xhekaj burst onto the scene last season playing 51 games with the Canadiens in his rookie season. After the Canadiens made some upgrades on defense and some prospects took major steps many wondered if Xhekaj's roster spot was in danger.

A new report has confirmed that Arber Xhekaj looks to be safely on the opening night roster. In the most recent practice, the Canadiens iced what looks to be their full NHL roster together. This included Xhekaj on the third defensive pair.

First pairing: Mike Matheson -- David Savard

Second pairing: Kaiden Guhle -- Jonathan Kovacevic

Third pairing: Jordan Harris -- Arber Xhekaj

Fourth pairing: Mattias Norlinder -- Justin Barron

Extra: Gustav Lindstrom

With these lines, it seems as though Xhekaj has earned his roster spot for now. He will be part of the Canadiens group looking to take a massive leap this season.

Canadiens Looking To See Big Improvement From Young Core

The Montreal Canadiens have one of the youngest cores in the NHL. Led by Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, and Juraj Slafkovsky the Canadiens are looking to make a big leap in the standings. Players like Arber Xhekaj and his defensive partner Jordan Harris will need to be part of the players taking a step forward for the Canadiens to succeed.

Last season the Canadiens finished 8th in the Atlantic Division with 68 total points. To be in the playoff race the Canadiens will need to make significant strides of improvement. One area that can help this is players staying healthy. The Canadiens dealt with several key injuries.

Beyond injuries the young players that the Canadiens have built their future on need to start showing flashes of elite-level play. If the Canadiens can consistently stay in the playoff conversation it would be massive for their confidence and plans going forward.

As Read On - Habs Fanatic - It would be confirmed for Arber Xhekaj