Arber Xhekaj has just been publicly criticized and it's causing a huge stir

Clearly, he's known how to attract (positive) attention from fans and CH organization, and he'll be really interesting to watch over the next few weeks.

Notably today, Xhekaj has been the talk of the town with this painful (for his opponent) fight:

Afterwards, we learned this very disappointing story:

Hard-hitting checks, a fight, solid hockey, Xhekaj is definitely on the right track.

He's already widely appreciated by his fans and teammates, but his opponents are not unanimous, and today in particular, some Ottawa Senators rookies didn't hesitate to publicly flay him.

Why? As my excellent colleague Keven Mawn (Fanadiens.com) reports, it's because of a Xhekaj check that didn't pass.

Xhekaj hit Victor Lodin solidly, and following that hard-hitting check, one of his teammates made a hugely reactionary public outburst to throw a clear point at the Habs' defenseman.

Let's mention here that Crookshank suffered a torn knee last year due to contact with the towering Xhekaj.

Clearly, Xhekaj will be appreciated in Montreal and we are happy to have him with us, not against us.