It was with great pleasure that Canadiens fans discovered the colossal Arber Xhekaj last year. His ability to throw down the gloves and act as a sheriff quickly made him a fan favorite. However, the Tricolore started 2022-23 with three rookie defensemen, which is far from ideal. Had they had fewer injuries and more depth, it probably would have been different. Now that everything suggests that the CH's defensive brigade will be healthy next season, there will be a surplus of defenseman. This obviously raises a number of questions. <q>As for his place in the lineup, some options lead to Xhekaj starting the season in the NHL, but it will be difficult to integrate him if all the players are healthy. Players like David Savard and Joel Edmundson will probably be given priority due to their veteran status, while Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Justin Barron, Mike Matheson and Jonathan Kovacevic all produced much better numbers than Xhekaj in 2022-23, while facing higher-quality competition. He could start the season as a seventh defenseman, but I think it's best if he's assigned to the AHL if Kent Hughes fails to trade Edmundson or Savard. - Marc Dumont</q> <blockquote class=twitter-tweet><p lang=en dir=ltr>It's Friday which means it's time for a <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/Habs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#Habs</a> Mailbag.<br><br>Anything goes, field hockey or not, but I will give priority to any question involving Mariusz Czerkawski or Raitis Ivanans.<br><br>Drop your Q in a reply below, and I'll get to it in an article this afternoon. Thanks!<br><br>Questions⬇️- Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) <a href=https://twitter.com/MarcPDumont/status/1669734817087275016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>June 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset=utf-8> Marc Dumont is a former Habs content creator who now works for <i>Mtl Hockey Now</i>. Obviously, this statement doesn't meet with unanimous approval. Why would the Habs deprive themselves of their big defenseman? Nevertheless, decisions will have to be made between Martin St-Louis and Kent Hughes regarding the surplus of defenseman, especially on the left side, if Joel Edmundson doesn't get traded. Credit: <a href='https://www.marqueur.com/news/index.php?no=247125' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Marqueur/News</a>