Kent Hughes May Have Dropped a Hint on Arber Xhekaj's Future in Montreal
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
In recent hours, the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, Kent Hughes, gave an interview to the official website of the National Hockey League.
And finally, the Canadiens' GM spoke about the situation with the team's defensemen.
Kent Hughes gives a strong vote of confidence to David Reinbacher
This seems to confirm what was recently mentioned on Tony Marinaro's podcast.
David Reinbacher will have every opportunity to earn a spot with the Montreal Canadiens as soon as this season!
He could even be paired with Lane Hutson, starting this season!
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes on David Reinbacher:
"We know David's an NHL defenseman," Hughes said. "We're excited about that. We're excited about what he's going to represent to our organization over time. But we're not going to force him into things.
"The [AHL] playoffs were great for him to have that. It was great that they went on the run that they did. So we'll see if he comes in and surprises and we have decisions to make. Otherwise there's the opportunity for him to go to Laval and keep developing and progressing." - Kent Hughes
"We know David's an NHL defenseman," Hughes said. "We're excited about that. We're excited about what he's going to represent to our organization over time. But we're not going to force him into things.
"The [AHL] playoffs were great for him to have that. It was great that they went on the run that they did. So we'll see if he comes in and surprises and we have decisions to make. Otherwise there's the opportunity for him to go to Laval and keep developing and progressing." - Kent Hughes
Obviously, the phrase that stands out here is "we know that David is an NHL defenseman."
What's the connection with Arber Xhekaj?
Well, the situation on the Canadiens' blue line is very clear.
Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, and Alexandre Carrier will be five of the six defensemen, leaving just one spot for Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and David Reinbacher.
If Reinbacher is already considered an NHL defenseman and becomes a regular for the Canadiens, that will obviously be very bad news for Arber Xhekaj's spot..
And judging by Kent Hughes' comments, the organization seems to believe that Reinbacher is indeed an NHL player.
This will be an interesting situation to watch at camp.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 15 | 1424 ANSWERS Kent Hughes May Have Dropped a Hint on Arber Xhekaj's Future in Montreal Who Will Be the Montreal Canadiens' Sixth Defenseman This Season? | ||
| Arber Xhekaj | 888 | 62.4 % |
| Jayden Struble | 251 | 17.6 % |
| David Reinbacher | 285 | 20 % |
| List of polls | ||
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