With Montreal Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj being a healthy scratch for the past two games, many fans have begun to speculate that he and head coach Martin St. Louis do not see eye-to-eye.
The team’s latest press conference has only added fuel to that fire.
“I expect a better version,” St. Louis told a reporter who asked about the young blueliner’s poor start to the season after practice.
The coach then pointed to the 23-year-old’s on-ice mistakes, stressing that he needs to improve his game going forward.
“You should be worried about making some mistakes, right? He’s not a rookie anymore so you should be ‘I gotta be better’… Very simple,” St. Louis said in a frustrated tone. “It’s not like we nitpick everything he does but he’s gotta be better. I expect Xhekaj to be a better version.”
We’ve never heard Coach Marty sound as tough & strict talking about a Habs player during a press conference as he did talking about Arber Xhekaj today.
Here’s the clip: pic.twitter.com/NQWWOaPYNk
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 25, 2024
Despite his slightly harsh words, the bench boss did confirm that Xhekaj would be back in the lineup for Montreal’s next game, also revealing that Samuel Montembeault would get the start between the pipes.
Arber Xhekaj réintègrera la formation samedi face aux Blues de St-Louis. Samuel Montembeault sera devant le filet.
Arber Xhekaj will return to the lineup on Saturday against the Blues. Samuel Montembeault will get the start in net. pic.twitter.com/3zYamzhuvD
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 25, 2024
Xhekaj, who has gone pointless through five games with a -4 +/- rating, opened up about his underwhelming play when speaking with reporters on Thursday.
“I’ve been having some leaks defensively. I think they’re causing goals against. I’ve got to tighten that up and I’ll be fine,” he noted.
Criticism is coming from all corners for Xhekaj, with former Montreal coach Michel Therrien calling him out in a recent op-ed and former Habs forward Georges Laraque suggesting his days in Montreal could be numbered. Despite this, the Hamilton native believes the Canadiens will still provide him with more opportunities down the road.
“They want me in, for sure,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t the case.”
Riding a disappointing 2-4-1 record, the Habs will look to redeem themselves when they take on the St. Louis Blues this Saturday at the Bell Centre.