NHL analyst believes Arber Xhekaj could be on the trade block after poor start to the season

Today a new report has put the future of Arber Xhekaj with the Montreal Canadiens in doubt as a potential trade seems more likely by the day.

Over the past 2 seasons the legend of Arber Xhekaj has been building in Montreal. Arber Xhekaj has been seen as a physical presence that needed to be in the lineup and brought value to the Montreal Canadiens. So far this season that all changed as Arber Xhekaj has played in just 5 games this season.

Arber Xhekaj began the season playing in the lineup every night and seemed to be doing well enough for Martin St. Louis to keep him in. However, after the return of fellow defenseman Jayden Struble Arber Xhekaj has struggled to see the lineup being scratched multiple games in a row and now tonight the Canadiens are expected to scratch him once again.

During his time in the NHL this season Canadiens fans have seen much of the same Arber Xhekaj from last season. Xhekaj is a physical presence who still crosses the line too often leading to ejections like the one he got against the Ottawa Senators. This lack of focus and ability to produce to the lineup in other ways led to his demotion in the past as well. Last seasonXhekaj was sent down and shared his frustrations with not being in the NHL at the time.

Since being scratched multiple times fans are beginning to get frustrated about wasting Arber Xhekaj's potential. Many fans still want him in the lineup but also are open to the idea of the team trading him if they are not willing to use him every night.

This is a sentiment that is also shared by former NHLer and current NHL analyst Georges Laraque. According to Georges Laraque, the Montreal Canadiens should trade Arber Xhekaj as there are multiple teams interested in his services and they likely could get a good return for him.

From Georges Laraque's statement, it seems like only a matter of time before Arber Xhekaj straight-up requests a trade. Every NHL-level player wants to be in the lineup every night and if he knows there is a path to playing time elsewhere he will likely try to force his way out.

From all indications it seems like Martin St. Louis is not a fan of Arber Xhekaj and his game combined with the Montreal Canadiens' great depth on defense it seems like a trade could be coming eventually for Arber Xhekaj. As this situation continues to develop we will pass along the latest news and notes.

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