Canadiens turned down a significant trade offer for Arber Xhekaj: report

It hasn’t been the best season for Arber Xhekaj, but the Montreal Canadiens brass still has plenty of belief in him.

Xhekaj, who seemingly came out of nowhere to crack the Canadiens roster last season, was assigned to Laval Rocket of the AHL early in 2023-24. To his credit, the 22-year-old went down and worked hard, earning a recall five days ago. Whether or not the 17-game AHL stint was all he needed to get back on track, it doesn’t seem the Habs plan to give up on him anytime soon.

In a recent report from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, he states that the Canadiens received numerous trade offers on Xhekaj. At least one of those offers was quite significant, yet general manager Kent Hughes still elected to turn it down.

“Teams have not only called the Montreal Canadiens about rugged defenceman Arber Xhekaj, but some have also pitched offers,” Pagnotta wrote. “In fact, word is the Habs received an offer for a young NHL forward, a former first-round pick, with second-line potential. Montreal declined.”

While Xhekaj isn’t projected ever to be an offensive star at the NHL level, his physicality and willingness to drop the gloves make him a rare and valuable player. While Habs fans may be mixed about their team declining the offer reported by Pagnotta, it is clear that this management group believes he has plenty of potential in his game. Through 19 NHL games this season, he has a goal and two assists while averaging slightly less than 15 minutes in ice time.

Overall, the 2023-24 season has been a rough one for the Canadiens, who are still in the process of rebuilding. Through 48 games, they own a 20-21-7 record, placing them sixth in the Atlantic Division. They’ll look to improve their record tonight as they are set to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:00 pm ET.

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