With the return of defensemen Justin Barron and Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj has been taken out of the lineup by Martin St-Louis, confirming his position as the Canadiens’ seventh defenseman.
Xhekaj has been sent to the stands, and St-Louis addressed the situation just moments ago before the game against the Washington Capitals. He stated, “We have seven healthy players right now, and we’re trying to keep everyone involved. I’m not upset with Arber; he’s making progress on what we’ve discussed and will return, but we want JB and Guhle, who were previously sidelined, back in the lineup.”
This sentiment differed from St-Louis’s previous comments about Xhekaj, making it a situation to monitor in the future.
Additionally, St-Louis advised Xhekaj to remain patient, continue working on their discussed points, and follow the coaches’ instructions to get back into the lineup soon. However, it is clear that the Canadiens’ management sees Barron as a regular part of the defense, especially since he is a true right-shot defenseman. Therefore, Xhekaj will need to excel if he hopes to move beyond being the team’s seventh defenseman and compete with Jayden Struble or another teammate for a spot.
