Montreal Canadiens Trade Debate: Struble vs. Xhekaj

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From structured cabling and phone systems to Wi-Fi, cameras, and alarms, Cable keeps you connected, secure, and performing at your best. Your partner for the future. It’s Cable. Man, it was a fun week last week when we talked about Mike Mat signing for 5 years at $30 million, leaving leaving a lot of money on the table. Uh, you can leave a lot of money in your pocket by shopping for your furry pal, your furry family member at Little Bear at Littlebearonline.com with delivery, curbside pickup, the in-house shopping experience with great expert advice without pushing an agenda, without pushing a product. Chuck and Eie and their staff at Little Bear on St. Catherine across from West Mount Square. Marco care about uh your pet as much as you do and a loyal partner for the Star and De Mo show. Mike Mat showed some loyalty re-uping with the Montreal Canadians, but these are, as you put it last week, these are good problems to have. Marco, they don’t have enough chairs for all the bodies. Let’s talk about who are the Montreal Canadians potentially looking at in terms of a not a sacrificial lamb, a sacrificial D because you’ve got some uh some reporting out uh through RG and RG.org where you cover the Montreal Canadians with that outlet on on Kaden Ghoulie. Kaden Goulie’s name was swirling around last week. Let’s let’s cast a light on some of that speculation right here, Marco. Yeah. So, a lot of that information is coming from outside the Montreal Canadians organization. Uh, basically what we’re hearing is teams are asking about Kaden Gulie. The Canadians are not having it. The Canadians are very much view Kaden Ghoulie as part of the future until seen otherwise. He’s not being shopped in any way, shape, or form. This doesn’t mean that they view him as the odd man out. Quite the opposite. They view his skill set as being rather unique amongst the uh the Canadians defensive brigade. You combine that speed, that physicality. Um you know, the fact that all of his injuries seem to be freak individual injuries and not structural doesn’t worry the Canadians. So Kaden Goully not on the block from what we’re being told right now. Uh, it’s someone that I could see moved in a big big big trade for a 2C, but none of that is available and the Canadians aren’t looking to make that move. They would prefer to use other assets to go and get that. And by prefer, I mean significantly prefer to do so. You know, we’ve spoken about this before and uh, you know, RDS is Mark Deny who’s one of the best in the business. You know, the the one consistent thing, you know, someone like Mark Deni has told me over the years is that when he’s on the road with the team and, you know, he speaks to other coaches from the opposition, more often than not, the one player they keep asking about in a good way, not as the on the block way, is Kaden Gully. And you just referenced there, you know, he has a unique skill set that not a lot of guys on this current roster bring to the table. And I guess we can elaborate on that for a second here, right? I mean, he brings hockey IQ, he brings physicality, he brings leadership. And while other guys, you know, you can point your finger at a Jack eye or a Strugel that they bring the physicality and they have that in their tool in their toolbox, maybe that their toolbox in contrast to Ghoulies isn’t as deep. I mean, Ghoulie was a top pick in the 2020 draft. like he went 16th overall. Some felt he slid. I know the Canadians had him in their top 10 on their list in that draft and I know a couple of other teams did too. Um it’s just a rare skill set. He has the ability to defend off the rush in a way that I don’t feel any other defenseman other than Mike Mat can. Right. So if you’re going to want to match up against the Colorado Avalanche, for example, that’s a player that they missed is Kaden Goully because that’s a guy that could keep up with the Nate McKinnons. That’s a guy that won’t get uh turnstyled by a Martin Niches on the rush, right? This is a guy who has the skating ability and the physicality to either match up speed for speed or to box guys out physically and get the puck out quickly. So, they miss him dearly on that on that top four right now. And that’s why they’re overusing a guy like Alex Kerier. And unfortunately, it kind of leaves him a little exposed on certain plays. Um, so no, they are more than willing to be patient and wait for for a guy like Kaden Goully to come back in January or early February uh to the lineup. And believe you me, not in the world where they want to consider moving him at this time. So you’d be looking more so at some of the uh some of the younger pieces on the Canadians blue line. So ArborJe, Jaden Strubel, Adam Angstrom. Uh those are the guys that could potentially be of interest to teams across the league that the Canadians would consider moving because championship teams have a have a set top four, right? And then you kind of have your bottom pair that is mostly role players. The Canadians feel that they have their top four kind of set. They have other options coming in Ryan Bacher and Adam Angstrom and now they have to make a decision because waiverss also factors in on this and they want to be able to make the right choice. so that they don’t have too much of the same. So, which Montreal Canadian defenseman is the odd man out? And I think I believe that player to be, and only speculating here as we’re having this conversation, is Jaden Strub. And my reasoning for looking at Jaden Strub is, and I don’t mean this in a disrespectful way, it’s just it’s just we’re talking hockey, we’re talking players, we’re talking value. I see Jaden Schubel play. He plays decently when he’s paired with Lane Hudson. I think the coaching staff, in my opinion, I think trusts him more situationally than they do someone like Arbor Jackkeye. And I think to a man, I think Jaden Strub is right now a better defender in his own end than Arbor Jackie. So in terms of Marco getting a return on a on a hypothetical transaction is what we’re doing here. We’re speaking in hypotheticals about Jaden Strub. Where is Strubel ahead of and I haven’t seen enough of Angstrom, right? So, I’m deliberately leaving Angstrom out of this conversation and the potential is there, but just guys that you know we see on the regular, right? How does how does Strubel in your opinion stack up 1 v one versus someone like Arbor Jackkey in terms of perhaps how you think other general managers view those two guys on the Canadians? Um, when you look at Arbor Jackie, you see the physicality, you obviously see the the the fist of cuffs as well, the ability to fight, defend players. Uh, the the just the the energy that he has. The Canadians are trying him on the penalty kill as well. So, clearly there’s an indication they’d like to give him more responsibility and find ways to get him more ice time. I just don’t feel like with the Canadians, I don’t feel like Jaden Strouel has a role. And I think that’s when you’re not when when you’re a bottom pair defenseman and you don’t have a role, it’s rough, right? Because you’re the odd man out if someone has to get flipped out of the lineup. Although they did keep him with Lane Hudson and they they they took out Arbor Jackie to bring in Adam Angstrom against Utah. But I think when you look at the way that the Canadians play, I feel like Jaden Strubal is good at many things but does not excel at all of them. I think I was watching uh it was a rare time where I was actually watching a game, but I I I think it was Pud that seemed like amazed at the fact that uh Jaden Strouel was joining the rush offensively for the Canadians the other night and he had he he had like made the observation like, “Oh, Jaden Strub’s joining the rush.” As if he were surprised. And I think that’s the thing. A guy with that mobility you would want to see involved a little bit more physically, but a guy a little bit more uh consistently, but then you also want to see him be more physical on defensive end. He does both well, but he doesn’t do it consistently enough to have carved out his role. And I don’t think that that’s a problem necessarily to him. I think it’s also a problem with the Canadians in general in terms of what they need in their defensive structure and what they’re asking him to do. I think you put him on a team uh you know, you put him on a team like Boston, you put him on a team like um you know the Calgary Flames, you put him on a team like you know any team basically looking to get younger on the left side and I think that he would have more opportunity but because the Canadians have a set top three Kaden Gou’s spot is basically being held by Alex Ker on special teams and then Arborjaka is such a different unique player compared to the other five that I the other four that I just mentioned. Well, it makes him look like the odd man out and I I look, I get it because Strupil has good value across the league. Like, I’m I’m not going to this may surprise people, but Jaden Strupal is well regarded. The Canadians defensive brigade in general is well regarded in terms of the potential that’s there and the amount of of of high value assets that they have. So, all this does is it gives the Canadians options, right? And it’s always a cost evaluation, right? So it’s not who’s the odd man out, but which trade makes the most sense. And I think that’s the that’s the debate, right? Because there are some general managers that value Adam Angstrom more than than ArborJe, but there are some general managers that value Arbor Jackeye more than Adam Angstrom. I haven’t had enough of a return yet to see if there are enough general managers that value Jaden Strub over the two that I just mentioned. So sometimes it’s not who’s the odd man out so much as what is the best cost value deal that you can make. Like if if tra if a general manager views Adam Angstrom as an a prospect and you’re trying to go and get a legitimate piece and you’re trying to convince them to take Jaden Strouel and the answer is no. Yeah. Well, you know, like are you willing to live with the fact that you’d be letting go of a guy like Angstrom and keeping Arbor uh Jaden Strugel more as a seventh D or a sixth D in this situation while you’re waiting for David Rybacker to eventually take that role, you know, like that’s why I’m saying there’s a lot of moving pieces and I haven’t even brought up a guy like Bryce Pickford who’s playing fantastic in the WHL. So, the Canadians have depth on defense and they have the flexibility to ma be able to make calls like this. You just got to be careful that you’re not you’re not jumping to to a conclusion to make a trade. And I don’t from what I’ve been told, the Canadians are not jumping to make a trade. They’re very much methodically looking at the market and trying to see what they can go and get, who could potentially be available, and when that time comes, they’ll be able to look at their excess assets and they’re going to be able to make a move. I mean, I I mean, to me, that’s smart business. You know, it’s not like anyone’s play to to me right now is like, okay, they’re forcing their way into the conversation, forcing Ken Hughes to do something perhaps he wasn’t ready to do. But if I go back to, you know, when you were breaking down my question around Jaden Strub, right, and then you quote Pier Hood. Oh, look at Strugel. Oh, wow. Joining the rush, joining the rush, you know, outside of dropping the gloves and handling his business. I don’t know what Arbor Jack’s identity is. Like, he doesn’t join the rush. He doesn’t fire a lot of pucks on net. He doesn’t play on the power play. I don’t think he moves the puck out of the defensive zone compared to Jay Dubble 1 v one as good. Right. Like if they’re going to move this, it’s going to be on reputation. It’s going to be on reputation. I think he’s the odd man out personally. I do. But I will say that the Canadians of late doing him no favors playing with uh with Alex Carrie. I don’t think Alex car is playing good hockey. And you could argue Alex Kier has been carrying Jacka. You could argue you could argue that Alex Kerier was was you know Markoff commiseric style to give you a comparable one guy carrying another guy last year. Last year okay I give it to you last year. Okay. This year absolut this year absolutely not. Absolutely not. I mean, Kerry hasn’t been playing well, but for the first part of the season, I think I can count I think I can count on my hand maybe like two or three games where I looked at Arbor Jack eyee and I was like, not his game, not happening. But I think I can count on my one hand like on two hands this month how many times I’ve looked at Alex Kerry played five on five and think you know like for example the the I believe the first goal against uh the first goal against against Colorado like Arbor Jackkeye gets gets clipped his his gets clipped right yes like falls down I don’t think and exactly and then it then there was the coverage issue correct I agree and it’s been reads like that that have put Alex Kerry out of position but also kind of exposed in consequence Arbor Jakkey. And so his stats in terms of like chances for chances against caved every time. But when you put him the the shifts that you put him with Lane Hudson, the numbers are fine. They’re perfect. So that leads me to believe that if you were to isolate Arbor Jack eyes play and put him with a steady presence, an actual steady presence on the back end, you’d have better results. Unfortunately, you don’t. And that’s why, you know, sometimes I feel like it’s almost the same thing for Lane Hudson. He has to chase the play a lot of the times because of a weird decision made by by Jaden Strub or a miscue defensively or bad positioning and he has to come, you know, like you see sometimes you see Lane Hudson just darting down the ice, skating like a water bug trying to make up space and time because an improper positioning or a bad pinch, right? And oftent times I find that Jaden Stubel isn’t al, you know, isn’t optimally placed to play those odd man rushes and it exposes them to, you know, goals like we saw over the past week. So I don’t necessarily think that Arbor Jackai has aided in his utilization. Um, I think that between Strouel, him and Carrie, I think the three of them have struggled of late to find some footing. What I would say is I think that many many teams would be able to better surround Arborji than the Canadians are doing right now. And that’s my only concern about moving an Arborji because if he can get to the if he can get a level of comfortability and trust from the coaching staff on a regular basis. Uhhuh. Because to me, you want a guy on your bottom pair eventually. Say for example, the Canadians don’t renew uh the contract for Alex Kerier and you try to slot in an Arbor an Adam Angstrom or a David Rybacker. Well, then I think those two guys would play well with an Arbor Jack eyee because then the roles are very defined for one player or the other. If it’s Rybacker, you know, then stay back. Rybacker comes in as a Rover. If it’s Angstrom, Angstrom is going up and down the ice, right? Up and down the ice with speed. So, you know, Arbor Jackai knows what his role is. You know, hold down the center of the ice, be physical, box guys out. Whereas, right now, like Alex Ker is kind of seen as an off as a defensive defenseman, but doesn’t have the build to be able to do this thing the things that a defensive defenseman on a bottom pair should be doing. And it leads to situations with Arbor Jacki where he’s left a little exposed. So on one end the issue with Arbjaka last season and these seasons prior was discipline. I don’t think that’s an issue this season. In fact, I would say that not anymore. Stubel has been I think Schubel’s been the undisiplined one between the two. Then it was spatial awareness and timing. I thought he’s gotten a lot better at that, but it’s almost like the pairing gets discombobulated when there’s too much happening in the offensive zone. So what do you look for? You look at habits. You look at who gets caught the most and of late I’m really sorry it’s Alec Kerry. So I don’t have the low opinion that some fans have of Arbaka just like I don’t have him up here like some fans do. I have a more of a tempered approach in terms of what I see. But I think unless you’re getting A+ value for him, I don’t think there’s a point in trading Arbor Jackie right now. I think trading a Jaden Strugel, I don’t know where Jaden Strouel’s ceiling will ultimately get, but I think that you have enough players that have defined roles in your system where trade, you know, sacrificing a guy like Strugle to go and get a forward asset that you desperately need, I think makes a ton of sense. I think it makes a a lot of sense. He would be the most logical one for me. But a team comes in with a top six center and they ask for Arbor Jack as the piece on defense. You’re the Montreal Canadians. You know, you This is the thing I’ve always said, bottom pair, physical defenseman, you could pick those up at the trade deadline for second and third round picks. We see it every year. Mhm. Top six centers, you know, forget about it. Only in PlayStation trades can you get a top six center. I You want a loyalty, go get a dog. Um, and that’s, you know, Alex Kerry, you know, on average probably plays like nine to 10 minutes more per game, right? And a lot of it is is situational. You know, Alex Carrey on a bad night um in terms of lack of discipline is going to get like six minutes short-handed in terms of how many minutes he’s out there for, right? And it’s funny, too, because you know, speaking to some people, you know, around the National Hockey League, like TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger, uh he’s told me in the past that in the hypothetical world where Arbor Jackkeye is dangled by Habs management, you’re going to have the entire league lining up to call Ken Hughes and say, “Okay, what do you want?” Yeah, let’s talk. Let’s talk. I mean, yeah, the appeal, I guess, maybe to your point, right? Because when I’m listening to you break down Jack’s game, I’ll be honest. You know what goes through my mind as I’m listening to you talk about him? I’m like, Marco sees something that I don’t believe Martine St. Louis sees. The way you talk about it, the way you talk about potential to me, to me, I don’t think today I think it it’s a working relationship. I don’t think today that the Montreal Canadians fully trust Arbor Jack’s decision-making in his own end. And I think it’s a but I don’t think they trust Didov’s decision in his own end. Right. Like Martine St. Louis, if you really want to open up that can of worms, I think Martine like his predecessor, his his his mentor, leans way too heavily on his veterans. Way too way too heavily. And more so than ever before, right? And I think that’s my kind of issue. against the Colorado Avalanche. Alec Kerry played 22 minutes. Yeah. Yeah. And over six shorthanded. Yeah. What are we What are we doing here? You’re losing 62. Bunnel in some of the younger guys to get some minutes in, to get some reps in. The game’s already lost. That’s a good point. What are you doing? So, that’s my that’s kind of where I’m at here. That’s kind of where my point is. is like on one end the Canadians have an a set have a setup top three and then Alex Kerry is filling in for the loss of Kaden Guly. We’ve we’ve established this but buddy like is Alex Kerry a long-term solution on the right side as a as a bottom pair defenseman? I don’t think so. I like him. I think he’s a great guy. I think he’s a solid teammate. But if you’re gonna compete for the Stanley Cup, I don’t know that your bottom pair of right shot defenseman Yeah, I agree. can can be that build. But he was the right player at the right time. He filled the Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. They were beggars can’t be choosers where the Canadians were last year. They got a good deal in my opinion because Justin Baron is a scratch on the worst team in the NHL right now. So yeah, I don’t think that anybody’s regretting that deal. What I will say is is that the Canadians are counting that when his deal comes to expiry that David Rybacker would eventually come in and take those minutes to start in his career. And I think that’s where I’m at. So if if that’s the vision, who do you best want playing with David Rybacker when he kicks in? Do you want Arbor Jack? Do you want Jaden Strub? Do you want Alex Kerier pushing Ar David Rybacker to the other side? Do you want to reunite the top pair in Laval that was David Rybacker and Adam Angstrom? you know, like that is that is the puzzle piecing that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have to go through. Um, and honestly, I think that part of it will be internal evaluation and the other part of it is going to be what does the market think of these players? And I will tell you this, there are a lot of general managers that value Arborjackey a lot still feel like he’s underutilized in Montreal. There are a lot of teams that like Adam Angstrom and I think that the performances over the last two games haven’t done anything to hurt his value. So those between those two guys, I think you’re good. I think you can you you already know you got value there. But I could tell you that Jaden Strouel playing with Lane Hudson on a top four kind of role. I think that that’s also positioning him well in case they ever do want to utilize him in a trade. So they have options. It’s good. But I could tell you one thing, Kaden Gulie is not one of them. At least as of now what I’m being told. And that’s great news in my opinion. Uh Marco Demo, read the latest as we talk about as he excuse me, he writes about Kaden Ghoulie uh with some of the speculation around uh that young defenseman and his name circulating last week and uh throwing some water onto that uh onto those embers, I suppose. Uh read the latest at rg.org, Follow Marco at M and do and of course like and subscribe to the Star and do show right here on YouTube and where all your favorite audio podcasts can be found. A big shout out to all of our sponsors from cheapest t-shirts.ca. MLAN’s Pub is where we’re going to be on December 23rd. Katherine Prince from Remaxplatine. Buying or selling your house. Reach out to her. And the best in home alarm security with Cabotel. Cablatel.com. Servicing Quebec and Eastern Ontario for 20 years. A nice family-owned business and a proud sponsor of the show. Marco, thanks as always. We’ll see you. We’ve got some lives to do this week as the Montreal Canadians are back home and we’ll see you live on YouTube.com in the not too distant future. Thanks, man. Have a good one, everybody.

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Who’s the odd man out on the Montreal Canadiens’ blue line? 👀

In today’s episode, Shaun Starr and Marco D’Amico break down the crowded Habs defence and what it means for the team heading into the next phase of their rebuild. With reports that Kaiden Guhle is not available in trade talks, the focus shifts to others:

➡️ Is Jayden Struble the odd man out?
➡️ Could Arber Xhekaj be the piece that brings real value back?
➡️ Which defenceman makes the most sense for Kent Hughes to move — and what could the Habs expect in return?

We dive into each player’s role, performance, value on the market, and how the Canadiens’ long-term plans on defense could shape the next big move.

If you’re a Habs fan or follow the NHL trade market, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

👉 Like, comment, and subscribe for more Canadiens coverage every day!

#montrealcanadiens #habs #nhl

50 comments

  3. This is gonna sound like a playstation 5 ………TRADE SCENARIO
    ALEX CARRIER
    JADEN STRUBLES
    KAIDEN GUHLE. FOR Vancouver Canucks FILIP HRONEK
    MATHESON DOBSON
    HUTSON. HRONEK
    XHEKAJ. REINBACHER
    EA SPORTS ITS IN THE GAME 😂

  4. I trade Struble over Arber personally. Arber has the physicality we need. I think Arber has been playing just as good as Struble in other aspects recently as well.

  8. for me struble has to go, xhekaj is too much of a fan favourite and he also has better value in our long term. In the future he can be a great 7th d man for rougher opponents

  9. Carrier got rocked 3 times in the first 4 games of the season. He might be carrying a concussion. His decision-making this year is absolutely bizarre, sometimes going in the exact opposite direction that he should be.

    He needs to sit.

  10. If Guhle is that valuable and everyone keeps asking for him, why don't we gauge what he's actually worth.

    Are we talking 1 for 1 with Tage Thompson, 1 for 1 with RNH, 1 for 1 with Trocheck… Sending a trade package with picks and Struble is cool. But if we know we're going to create space at the blue line, because we have too many guys that are going to be too good too soon… Then someone has to go soon.

    If I can get Nugent-Hopkins at 5M for 4 more years for guhle. I'm thinking about it long and hard… I'm putting myself in the other teams shoes and trying to gameplan against Montreal with RNH in our Lineup or with Guhle in the lineup and it's a no brainer. Montreal's PK and PP would get even better. 5×5 we'd be an even bigger nightmare and mismatch for other teams.

    Thompson, RNH or trocheck IN = Montreal Cup window opens this year. (As long as Tampa can chill for a few games)

  11. Xhekaj has a role in Montreal. The story is great, the brothers, etc. Struble is good, but he's expendable. Imagine if William Trudeau turned into a 6/7. He's still a viable prospect. With Protz and Pickford coming eventually too, who knows. There's tons of depth. I didn't even mention Engstrom or Reinbacher. Ha.

  14. Do you see a world where if Reinbacher continues his success he’s having in Laval this season where next training camp 2026, Engstrom & Reinbacher have a legitimate chance of making the team?

  15. Isn't Carrier, who's contract is up at the end of next season, maybe the most expendable D? Reinbacher is a RD and should be ready next season. They also have Engstrom who can replace Carrier in his role. I see them moving Struble this yr and Carrier next season to leave room for Engstrom and Reinbacher. Xhekaj is the 6-7 dman for another 3yrs if they re-sign him to a 3yr deal.

  17. Shawn you have been a Xhekaj hater for a long time. He is a young dman. Every other young dman gets "dmen take longer". Why not Arbor????? because he is tough? He has a 108mph shot that he doesnt get to use. He doesnt get to play with the best dmen. You are beginning to be like Tony M and that is not a good thing. You need to look honestly at things and not just with your feelings. Stop bringinging feelings to fact fights.

  18. Struble has had lots of opportunity to play top 4 with Hutson. We have seen everything he's capable of. We haven't even scratched the surface with Xhekaj.

  20. I find that people (media or fans) bashing Xhekaj will typically use general statements about Xhekaj’s game to discredit/criticize him. He’s slow, he’s not good with the puck, he’s not physical enough, he’s just looking to hit, etc. It’s rare that there is any actual basis for the claims being made about him. It’s based on an unfavourable general impression have about him. Maybe because he was undrafted. My take on him is that there isn’t anyone like him on defence, and so keep trying to develop him. If it doesn’t work, fine. But you’ll need a version of what he brings to the table down the line and we’ll likely have to trade for that. Might as well develop him internally.

  21. Carrier is so over rated in this market. Watching a competitor media outlet this morning touch on Carrier's issues for the briefest of moments only to segway into how bad Arber Xhekaj has been… not good.

  22. Ez solution is habs show xhekaj vids of scott stevens teach him how to line up hits and just unload his slapshot more it’s not rocket science just make things simple for him

  26. My boys SHARCO!
    A warm hello from beautiful Arizona.
    Mr D'Amico's feedback is absolutely priceless. Wifi needs to stay, especially that his kind is needed during the playoffs.

  27. Gorton needs to be careful he doesn't repeat the same mistakes he made in NYR building a soft team that couldn't protect itself. If arber has more value to the habs than he otherwise should because of his toughness, that's also a commentary on how soft the rest of the team has been made to be.

  28. Funny how Carrier is almost exactly at the same point statistically as when he was with the Preds last season.

    I’m worried about all the dangerous hits he received this season, unlike a lot of folk i do not want to get rid of him or let him go as an UFA.

    But if he’s not going anywhere, that also leaves limited options on what to do with Struble/Xhekaj with Reinbacher/Engstrom knocking at the door.

    Converting Xhekaj in a better Anderson could be worth it, Struble is already prioritized, i dont imagine Engstrom not receiving a similar treatment eventually, same for a 5th pick overall, which leaves Xhekaj at the bottom of it all, pretty short term.

  31. Was Pierre "Butch" Bouchard an all star defenceman? Nope but when in the lineup, I'm sure players took note.
    Arber could have used more time in Laval because defenceman could take time to round out their game. He was brought up quicker because the depth wasn't there. I would keep him because he makes other teams take note. Plus with his brother, double whammy.

  32. I'd glad Marco pointed out Carrier's bad plays make Arber look bad. Very often people will jump to the conclusion that Arber struggles defensively when they get scored when Carrier is directly responsible for the goal (e.g. Colorado's 1st goal). Carrier was great last season, not so much this one.

  34. Thank God marco is the vouce of reason. I dont know why starr and marinaro alwats bring arber down. He isnt perfect, but hes also not been developed the right way. He has skill, good fuest oass, physical, 8 hits last game, hokd the offensive blye line well while making good decisions and gard oasses acrosss or dumps it back behind the net. We need this type of player to develop into hus potential to he successfull. I like struble and want to jeeo him but he us more wasily replaced. My money is xhekai with rhino when carrier is done. Arbers decision making has been better than carriers lately. I wouod like to see an extended sample suze with hudson but they are scared to put him there. Its time to see what we have in these defenceman and play them more than 10 minutes. I agree with marco, when the score us 6 toi 2 why the heck is natheson and carrier still playing the pk and logging big minutes, thats when your youth gets ice time

  36. You nailed it on the head with the difficulty of acquiring a top 6 center. I think we’ll be disappointed in not getting one by the trade deadline but the options will be limited and a marginal upgrade on the guys already on the roster. Struble and a 1st rd pick probably gets you a good winger though. Zacha or McCann level guys are likely the top end of the possibilities.

  39. Jeez Shawn, Carrier has been the weakest d-man on the ice on a nightly basis and he is dragging Xhejak down with him. Xhejak has lost his confidence and has not played to his strength's because MSL does not trust him and hang's him for every mistake. Unlike what he does with Matheson, Carrier, Dobson and Hutson.

  40. Xhekaj can fight but what else does he do??? His biggest weakness is defense… He doesn't have the hockey IQ to be effective in his own end and since he's always a step behind he can barely hit anyone and no one is afraid of him anymore, especially not Tom Wilson who Arber was supposed to be the antidote to… The only future I see for him in MTL is if they try him on the wing and it works out. If we can get good value for him, let him go. Florian is a much better hockey player than his older brother.

  41. Some fans didn’t appreciate Markov and now it’s Guhle. But we are seeing the difference when he is out. To me, he, Suzuki, Hutson and Demidov are the only untouchables on this team. Slaf too unless they bowl us over. Zharovsky playing his way onto that list fast. The fact that fans are so mad about another Guhle injury shows you the value he has to the team. And that’s not even talking about the bargain contract they have him at.

  42. How do you expect Arbour Xhekaj to excel when the peewee coach always criticizes the guy benches him for long periods of time what do you think that would do to his confidence? I think you need a guy that can understand Jack guy as a coach. Let the guy be allowed to make some mistakes. Talk to him when he does and go over what he could’ve done better how many mistakes does Matheson make you get over 20 minutes a game I couldn’t excel personally if if I was in jack guy spot and had a coach that just did not value me at allit would erode my confidence pretty fast. St. Louis made than a good player as Wayne Gretzky was as well, but both of them are not very good coaches.

  43. Struble is a great skater and physical, he’s young and still developing, he’s gonna be a hell of a shut down defenseman one day , Montreal already plenty of offensive puck moving defensemen , trading struble now would be dumb as you’ll never get what he’s worth in return , Montreal doesn’t need any type of players they would receive in a trade for struble .

    Xhekaj cannot be traded , he’s a pimp amongst hoes , he’s the only reason the habs talented players are not getting butchered and still developing, he’s big , young and has a 100 mph shot. Arber Xhekaj is the next Sheldon Souray , go look at Souray’s number and the way he played early in his career , Arber xhekaj is actually better

    As for Carrier , anyone saying is or was carrying anyone is embarrassing at best , including last year , that guy is a joke! If you think other wise than you’re obviously not watching the games , I watched every single game for the passed 15 years and I maybe missed 5 over the passed 25 , sometimes I watched them twice and I’m telling you Carrier is the worst defenseman on this team . The only reason he’s still here is because he’s right handed

    Montreal need top line players and upgrade on size and speed on their bottom line , but they also need shutdown role defensemen on the bottom pairing, so there’s zero point of trading xhekaj or struble at this point

    Guhle has an amazing contract and he’s the only asset who could land the habs a talented center and Carrier needs to be upgraded

    You could possibly solved the physical part of the 4th line by making xhekaj a winger like he was in junior if need be . I think xhekaj would be more useful playing on the wing than guys like Veleno or gallgher

    The habs need to make room and before they do , they need to evaluate engstrom and Reinbacher at the nhl level before they make a decision , a thing is sure , they have no room for Carrier and they’ll also need to trade another defenseman on top of carrier

    About a 4th line who looks like this

    Anderson-Xhekaj-Xhekaj , now that would be pretty intimidating

  46. To suggest Arber has played better than Carrier is wild. Carrier is leaned on to play tougher minutes and way more minutes, while Xhekaj is riding the bench.

    You bring up Xhekaj with Hutson.. of course he looks better next to Hutson, so would everyone when he’s doing all the work carrying the puck and getting extremely high offensive zone starts. Everyone’s numbers get better in that role.

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