The Montreal Canadiens like Arber Xhekaj on their blue line, so much so that Kent Hughes has reportedly turned down a solid trade offer for The Sheriff.
This season, Arber Xhekaj has been in and out of the Montreal Canadiens lineup, and with injuries to their blue line, it’s clear that he should be an every day player at this point, but he just hasn’t taken that leap yet.
Due to some healthy scratches, speculation has begun about his future in Montreal, with a former enforcer predicting that Kent Hughes will trade him at some point during the season.
However, it appears that Hughes may not be in quite the rush that many originally believed according to a recent report from NHL Insider Davig Pagnotta.
According to Pagnotta, Hughes had a recent offer for Xhekaj, but with his belief in The Sheriff and the leap that he could still take as a defenseman, he ultimately turned it down.
«One team wanted to offer a late first-round pick for Arber Xhekaj. The Canadiens said no thanks, we like what we have right now.»
It’s unclear which team offered the pick, as a pick between 26 and 32 certainly doesn’t hold as much value as a high pick, but given the fact that this team has scratched him several times this year, they may be much higher on him than other teams.
In 15 games this year, Xhekaj has tallied just one assist to go along with 19 penalty minutes and a -3 differential, so if the team are intent on trading him, they may have missed an opportunity.
Analysts are still of the belief that the Canadiens should acquire a big name in the near future, so Hughes may be holding on to him to attach him to such a trade, but for now it’s hard to see exactly what the plan is for Xhekaj.
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