Arber Xhekaj still doesn't have a contract, and this week the Canadiens' restricted free agent mess got a little more interesting.
He's not alone. Zachary Bolduc is in the same spot, another unsigned RFA with July slipping away and no term in place.
Xhekaj put up 1 goal, 3 assists and 4 points over 65 games last season, playing on a cap hit of just $1,300,000.
Bolduc scored 12 goals with 18 assists for 30 points across 78 games, carrying a cap number of $863,334.
Daily Faceoff's David Pagnotta said Thursday it's still a pure standoff between Xhekaj's camp and Montreal, with both sides trying to close the gap on price.
Pagnotta didn't hide who's watching from outside. "Despite interest from other teams in a trade, and the Flyers are among them, having been interested for years, there's nothing new in his case," he said.
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Philadelphia has chased this file before. Rick Tocchet runs a team built on truculence, and a 25-year-old rearguard who hits like Xhekaj fits that identity.
So why keep circling a defenseman with four points in 65 games last season? Because term and cost still matter more to some clubs than box scores.
Xhekaj remains exposed to a hostile offer sheet
Xhekaj is two years from unrestricted free agency, and nothing in Kent Hughes' recent approach suggests he's ready to hand out heavy term here.
Hughes is also off the grid. He's on vacation for two weeks, which leaves this file parked right where it sat a month ago.
Montreal isn't negotiating from weakness, either. The Canadiens finished 48-24-10 for 106 points last season, well ahead of Philadelphia's 43-27-12 and 98 points.
The Flyers still owned the head-to-head, though. Montreal lost all three meetings this season, capped by a 4-2 defeat on the road on April 14.
An offer sheet remains the wildcard nobody's ruling out. Handing over real draft compensation for a third-pairing rearguard with those numbers would be a stretch, and a bad value bet if it happens.
Watching this play out is a bit like two neighbors arguing over a fence they can't agree on the height of. Nobody's climbing over it yet.
Nothing here is imminent, and Pagnotta framed it as status quo for now. But Philadelphia doesn't usually chase a player for years just to walk away quietly.
Should the Canadiens trade Arber Xhekaj to the Flyers this summer?
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