Multiple Signs Point to Arber Xhekaj Losing His Spot as a Regular on the Canadiens' Blue Line

It's absolutely not what I want, but we have several signs pointing in that direction. The defensive picture is very clear for the Montreal Canadiens right now.

There are 6 regular spots, and 5 of those 6 are already set:

Kaiden Guhle - Noah Dobson

Lane Hutson - Alexandre Carrier

Mike Matheson - Available spot

For this single available spot, we have three candidates who will compete: Jayden Struble, David Reinbacher, and Arber Xhekaj.

And the Montreal Canadiens have just sent an interesting signal.

Knowing how much Hughes and Jeff Gorton place importance on the meaning behind the contracts they give (and the salaries), this is certainly bad news for Xhekaj.

I don't see how Xhekaj can play more than 55 to 60 games with the Canadiens this season unless there are major injuries, especially with the imminent arrival of David Reinbacher.

I find this unfortunate, and I really believe Xhekaj brings an interesting dimension to Martin St-Louis' lineup, but I think we can forget the idea of seeing him as a regular in 2025-26.

Arber Xhekaj, 24 years old, played 70 games with the Montreal Canadiens in 2024-25 (6 points and 118 penalty minutes).

I don't see how he could surpass that mark in 2025-26, even though I sincerely hope so.