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Arber Xhekaj - Used as a Forward?

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MarcO
November 12, 2022  (3:32 PM)
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Arber Xhekaj is a great find for the Habs, and Martin St-Louis is always talking about how he's a hockey player, not just a fighter. There's no denying it, Xhekaj has great puck skills and it's even earned him appearances on the power play.

While playing for the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL, Xhekaj had the help of former NHL defenseman Dennis Wideman to fine tune his game.

"When he got here, he was a big kid. He had some skills and good hands for a big kid. But how to play in the D-zone system has been a little difficult for him. He always had the ability to do it, I think he was just losing his focus. So we worked with him on the mental aspect of the game to keep him focused throughout his shift and the game."

Wideman also told us a good one about the Canadiens' current No. 72. The Rangers were desperate to keep him in the lineup with his style of play.

"He'd have periods where he was great and then the next shift would be a little bit of a struggle and he'd forget what he was doing a little bit. For him, it wasn't an ability problem or a skill problem ... it was more of a focus problem. He was looking at the puck. But he was a guy we had to have in the lineup with his big style of play, the way he played and fought. He's one of the hardest working kids we've ever had here. He was always in the best shape of our team and he got better every year."

With Joel Edmundson and Michael Matheson returning soon, will Martin St. Louis be tempted to play him on offense as well? There are some similarities between the reality of the Habs this season and Xhekaj's past. We'll soon see what the Tricolore's pilot will do when Matheson is ready to return to the game.

Credit: Fanadiens.com

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12 NOVEMBRE   |   73 ANSWERS
Arber Xhekaj - Used as a Forward?

Would you like to see Xhekaj used as a forward rather than being a healthy scratch?

Yes4561.6 %
No2838.4 %
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