Martin St. Louis Calls Out Arber Xhekaj with Sharp Remarks During Press Conference

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Austin Kelly
October 26, 2024 (11:06)

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Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis had strong words for forward Arber Xhekaj after being a healthy scratch the past few games and expects better.

Arber Xhekaj has had a rough year so far, from the healthy scratches to his minimal time on the ice due to critical errors made defensively, and there is a possibility he could be headed out of town sooner than later.

Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis isn't impressed with Xhekaj so far, being fed up with the defenseman. During a press conference, St. Louis touched on Xhekaj's performance; explaining his scratched status:

"I mean you should be worried about making a couple of mistakes, right? You know, he's not a rookie anymore, so you should be "I got to be better", very simple. It's not like we nitpick anything he does, but he's got to be better, I expect a better version, I expect Xhekaj to be a better version."

Canadiens fans defended Xhekaj, who since coming into Montreal has been a consistent fan favorite for his physical presence and defensive effort, and fans understand that players go through slumps or make mistakes.

Xhekaj, 23, is one of the most physically imposing players in the NHL, with the defenseman being one of the top fighters in the league, and having found a consistent level of playing time due to a high work ethic. The lack of depth on Montreal's blueline certainly helps his cause as well, and this season Xhekaj is pointless in five games with the Canadiens.

The End of the Arber Xhekaj Experiment in Montreal?

Some fans have questioned why Xhekaj; a third pairing defenseman, gets a large amount of criticism from St. Louis, who has not shied away from criticizing Xhekaj both publicly and privately, and why he gets commented on his game more than other Montreal players who have struggled this season.

Besides Xhekaj, there have been analysts who have criticized Xhekaj's performance, and there has also been a recent report from Pierre LeBrun that indicates the Canadiens are already looking at the trade market and move on from Xhekaj.

In defense of St. Louis, it could be that he wants Xhekaj to be better knowing he's been better than his start has suggested, and that Xhekaj needs to show that intensity that has kept him in the National Hockey League. Not giving a 100% effort will make it difficult to make him an NHLer as he lacks a dominant offensive game and needs to focus on tightening up his defense if he wants to stick around.

The undoubtable aspect of this season for Arber Xhekaj is that he has underperformed to a standard expected of him. No one expects Xhekaj to light up the lamp with goals and assists, but even so, the lack of offense is also coupled with a middling defensive game that will be hard to justify as a long-term option given the amount of defensemen in the Canadiens system. With names like David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux & Adam Engstrom in the AHL with Laval, Xhekaj's time looks short.

If Arber Xhekaj is not able to step up and get back to the intensity that has lead him to beat the odds and make the NHL. The Canadiens may be forced to look elsewhere as they evaluate all options based on how Xhekaj can respond to being asked to do more, because it's one thing for Xhekaj to say he'll do better, he needs to show it.