Arber Xhekaj is drawing Mike Matheson minutes at Canadiens camp, and Martin St-Louis is the man handing them out.
Nicolas Cloutier flagged the deployment. A pile of ice time since day one, and a defenceman shooting the puck every chance he gets.
St-Louis has run him out on the penalty kill a few times as well. Coaches don't do that with players they're unsure about.
Two days ago the online reaction had him on thin ice. The bench is telling a completely different story.
The coach praised his game last weekend and said plainly that he wants to give him a chance to prove himself.
This is an audition, and it might be the most important camp of his career.
He signed a one-year deal right before camp opened. Kent Hughes looks fine about that decision so far.
Martin St-Louis makes a major bet on Arber Xhekaj at Canadiens camp
Guhle is expected out until at least October 23 with a groin issue. Those minutes had to land on somebody's plate.
David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom remain in that same race. Nobody in the group has been handed a thing.
Monday didn't help the case any. He finished at a -2 in the 3-2 overtime win over Ottawa.
That was the worst rating among Montreal defencemen on the night. Reinbacher, Engstrom, Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson all came out even or better.
He did get 2 shots on net, which fits the pattern Cloutier described.
Jayden Struble put up 3 and scored one of them. He's in the same fight for the same job.
Cole Caufield scored twice in that game and Hutson added 2 assists from the blue line.
Montreal is 3-0 through the exhibition schedule now. Nobody in that room is complaining about results.
Ottawa again on Saturday, this time on the road. Another set of minutes to account for.
So which read on him is the right one? A coach loading up a player's ice time works like a manager handing somebody the hardest account. Trust and a test arrive in the same envelope.
The minutes are the compliment. What he does with them decides whether a one-year deal ever turns into something longer.
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Does Arber Xhekaj deserve a bigger role with the Canadiens this season?
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