This time last year, who would have thought that Arber Xhekaj would be a crowd favorite? Nobody really knew him. This undrafted player, who signed a contract following an invitation to camp the previous year, was certainly not going to make the jump from the OHL to the NHL. We know what happened next, as Xhekaj proved he belongs in the NHL. However, the Canadiens' defenseman situation means that there will have to be some cuts. We know that Michael Matheson, David Savard and Kaiden Guhle will start with the team, leaving three or four spots for Chris Wideman, Justin Barron, Johnathan Kovacevic, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj and Gustav Lindstrom. And let's not forget that Logan Mailloux, among others, could be a surprise arrival at training camp. According to Renaud Lavoie, we can't rule out the possibility of Xhekaj being cut and playing for the Rocket in Laval. Of course, the journalist is only trying to soften the news so that it doesn't come as a major surprise, should it actually happen. But we don't agree, and neither do many fans. Number 72 brings something to the team that no one else can. He's the policeman, the man who makes the players respect each other on the ice, as well as knowing how to play hockey very well. While he doesn't excel at anything, he does well both defensively and offensively. In short, he's an asset to the club, without hurting them with his areas for improvement. For all these reasons, we firmly believe that he will have his place with the Habs, even if he's in the starting line-up for the first game of the season. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/renlavoietva/status/1698686071620403487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1698686071620403487%7Ctwgr%5Ec4f74fc5400e7ed02eaa116de75626a5c8a651f7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.habsetlnh.com%2FRenvoi-surprise-du-defenseur-Arber-Xhekaj-avec-le-Rocket-de-Laval-dans-la-AHL-Cest-ce-qui-vient-tout-juste-detre-evoque-comme-possibilite-par-Renaud-Lavoie-272733'> </a></blockquote></div>