Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens has been increasingly involved in fights recently, and the situation is escalating. His aggressive matchup with Cedric Pare made headlines last weekend, and he followed that by delivering a hard hit to Tim Stutzle, which drew significant criticism. In a recent preseason game against the Ottawa Senators, Xhekaj made another big hit, this time on Adam Gaudette.
Gaudette’s teammate, Zack McEwen, took exception to the hit and immediately challenged Xhekaj to a fight. However, it was Xhekaj who emerged victorious, which has often been the case in his bouts. Although we can’t show this on Hockey Unplugged, a link to the fight is available below.
Xhekaj is becoming increasingly controversial, raising questions about how long this behavior can continue. Many NHL players are growing tired of his actions and dirty tactics, which typically lead to on-ice confrontations. Nevertheless, Xhekaj continues to evade serious repercussions by winning those fights.
With the regular season approaching, it will be fascinating to see how the Canadiens handle the situation. It seems they are committed to keeping Xhekaj on the team due to the toughness he brings, but at some point, something will have to change.
