Arber Xhekaj's place with the Canadiens is under real pressure as Martin St-Louis faces an increasingly crowded blue line.
The latest warning came from Stu Cowan, who suggested Xhekaj may simply be running out of room in Montreal's long-term plans.
Cowan said it looks increasingly likely there won't be a spot for Xhekaj moving forward, especially if the Canadiens land the right-shot defenseman they've been looking for.
That is brutal news for a player whose identity has been tied closely to Montreal since he broke into the NHL. The question now isn't what Xhekaj brings. It's whether Montreal still needs it.
-
The Canadiens have reached the point where every blue-line decision carries a consequence. Younger options, lineup balance and the desire for another right-handed defender could squeeze Xhekaj from several directions at once.
And Cowan's wording matters. This wasn't framed as a temporary numbers problem or something that disappears after training camp. He raised the possibility that Xhekaj simply won't have a chair when Montreal finishes shaping its defense.
Arber Xhekaj suddenly faces a roster squeeze
Xhekaj's physical edge has always separated him from most Montreal defensemen. But that alone won't guarantee regular minutes if St-Louis has combinations that move the puck cleaner and fit the Canadiens' preferred pairings.
That makes a potential right-shot addition especially important. Bringing another defenseman into the mix would force Montreal to remove somebody from the nightly equation, and Cowan clearly sees Xhekaj as vulnerable.
There is also a difference between competing for the sixth spot and having no obvious spot at all. The latter changes the conversation from deployment to future.
For Xhekaj, that could mean entering camp with far more than ice time at stake. Every pairing, healthy scratch and roster decision would be viewed through the possibility that Montreal is preparing to move on.
The Canadiens don't have to make that decision today. But Cowan's assessment puts a spotlight on where the organization may be heading before the roster is finalized.
Xhekaj became one of Montreal's most recognizable depth pieces because he gave the bench something different. Now that uniqueness may not be enough to protect his place.
If Montreal adds the right-shot defenseman it wants, Cowan believes the numbers could finally turn against Xhekaj. And that could bring his Canadiens tenure to an abrupt end.
Should the Canadiens move Arber Xhekaj if they add another defenseman?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
$1 billion arena upgrade confirmed and could set a new standard as fans push back
