Arber Xhekaj's next contract with the Montreal Canadiens is stuck on one word: usage.
Sportsnet's Eric Engels reported Monday that fair-value options are on the table for the restricted free agent defenseman.
But Xhekaj isn't rushing to sign, according to Engels, because he wants a clearer path to regular ice time before locking into anything long-term.
That's a fair worry for a player whose role shrank last season.
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Xhekaj finished with 4 points in 65 games and a minus-8 rating, a step back from the breakout year that put him on Montreal's radar.
His last cap hit sit at $1,300,000, a bridge number that no longer matches where he actually stands on the blue line.
Over his last 10 games, Xhekaj managed 1 point but carried a plus-3 rating, modest numbers for a physical defenseman once viewed as a building block on the back end.
Engels believes Xhekaj wants to stay in Montreal. He also believes the Canadiens, who play in what he called one of the nastiest divisions in hockey, want to keep him too.
Wanting the same outcome and agreeing on the role are two very different problems.
Zach Bolduc's next deal adds new pressure before camp
Xhekaj isn't the only contract hanging over Montreal's offseason. Zach Bolduc needs one too, and Engels reported Monday that a deal should get done before training camp opens on Sept. 16.
Bolduc posted 30 points in 78 games last season, with 3 power play goals and 3 game-winning goals, still playing on a modest $863,334 cap hit.
Engels floated a three-year term around $4 million per season as the range that makes sense, though he admitted he isn't betting on anything as short as one year or as long as eight.
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That's a wide range for a front office already managing term across the roster.
Would you hand a bridge-year winger an eight-year contract on projection alone? Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis need an answer before camp, not after.
Two negotiations, one deadline, and a locker room that will notice if neither gets resolved before puck drop on the new season.
Should the Canadiens guarantee Arber Xhekaj a bigger role before he signs?
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