{"id":529878,"date":"2026-03-29T20:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T20:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/529878\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T20:20:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T20:20:15","slug":"arber-xhekaj-could-get-an-unexpected-opportunity-vs-hurricanes-amid-canadiens-lineup-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/529878\/","title":{"rendered":"Arber Xhekaj could get an unexpected opportunity vs Hurricanes amid Canadiens lineup shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\t\t\t\t\t \"Montreal <\/p>\n

Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Josh Anderson\u2019s illness could open an unexpected opportunity for Arber Xhekaj in Montreal\u2019s lineup.<\/p>\n

With Alexandre Texier already staying in Montreal to recover from an injury, the team suddenly finds itself short on healthy forwards.<\/p>\n

Journalist Marco D\u2019Amico quickly analyzed the options available to head coach Martin St-Louis for Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

If Josh Anderson is unable to suit up, management could very well dress Arber Xhekaj.<\/p>\n

“They can dress Xhekaj and go 11-7.”<\/p>\n

– Marco D’Amico<\/p>\n

The Montreal organization could opt for a lineup of eleven forwards and seven defensemen to face the Carolina Hurricanes.<\/p>\n

However, another even more intriguing option was raised by TVA Sports analysts after last night\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

According to the panelists, Arber Xhekaj could actually be used as a forward on the team\u2019s fourth line. Finally!<\/p>\n

Does Arber Xhekaj have the ideal profile to play forward on a fourth line?<\/p>\n

He skates very well and brings an extremely physical style that fits perfectly with a support role.<\/p>\n

Playing as a power forward on a fourth line would allow him to deliver heavy hits without the usual defensive responsibilities.<\/p>\n

For the defenseman, it would also represent a golden opportunity to re-enter the lineup, as he has been pushed aside by Jayden Struble\u2019s recent strong play.<\/p>\n

Of course, if Martin St-Louis refuses to use Arber Xhekaj in this creative way, general manager Kent Hughes has another option.<\/p>\n

Since the team would have fewer than twelve healthy forwards, the club is allowed to make an emergency recall.<\/p>\n

Bringing a player up from Laval on short notice would require quick logistics in the middle of this road trip.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the idea of using Arber Xhekaj as a forward for one night\u2014or deploying him as a seventh defenseman\u2014remains the most intriguing scenario.<\/p>\n

Another possibility to consider is Patrik Laine, who could also be inserted into the lineup as an offensive reinforcement.<\/p>\n

Martin St-Louis will reveal his final game plan during warmups against Carolina.<\/p>\n

Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics<\/p>\n

POLL<\/p>\n

4 HOURS AGO|329 ANSWERS<\/p>\n

Arber Xhekaj could get an unexpected opportunity vs Hurricanes amid Canadiens lineup shortage<\/p>\n

Would you like to see Arber Xhekaj play a game as a forward with the Montreal Canadiens?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images Josh Anderson\u2019s illness could open an unexpected opportunity for Arber…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":529879,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[407,29,5,783,27194,412,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-529878","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-arber-xhekaj","9":"tag-carolina-hurricanes","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-josh-anderson","12":"tag-marco-d","13":"tag-martin-st-louis","14":"tag-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116314324119830950","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=529878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/529879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=529878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=529878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=529878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}