Arber Xhekaj still hasn't signed with the Montreal Canadiens, and this morning brings a clearer picture of why.
A fair contract offer is reportedly already on the table. Money was never really the sticking point.
What's holding Xhekaj back is playing time, not dollars. He wants a real guarantee before he commits long-term.
Fair enough, when you look at the numbers. Xhekaj dressed for only 65 of Montreal's 82 games last season.
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He finished with four points and a minus-8 rating over that stretch, hardly numbers that lock in a role.
The playoffs told a different story. Xhekaj found steadier minutes, picking up two points and a plus-5 across 13 games.
Would you sign a long-term deal off 17 missed games and no clarity on your role? Didn't think so.
The games-played gap fueling Xhekaj's hesitation
Martin St-Louis and Kent Hughes now face a real decision. Convince Xhekaj on role, or let this drag deeper into camp.
It's not a cap problem. Xhekaj carries a $1,300,000 hit, a number that barely moves the needle on Montreal's books.
Locking a depth defenseman into a firm ice-time promise before camp opens feels like a strange hill to stake a negotiation on.
Montreal closed last season at 48-24-10, good for 106 points in a stacked division.
The Canadiens also finished plus-27 in goal differential, proof this group can roll without full continuity on the back end.
Asking a depth rearguard for a written role guarantee is a bit like signing an apartment lease sight unseen. Nobody commits blind.
Despite the uncertainty, Xhekaj has kept training in Brossard, a sign he isn't pushing for a way out of Montreal.
Sportsnet's Eric Engels put it simply. Fair value sits on the table, but Xhekaj wants a clearer path to everyday minutes before he signs.
Camp is closing in fast, and Montreal still doesn't have Xhekaj signed, or the role clarity he's asking for settled either way.
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Should the Canadiens guarantee Arber Xhekaj real ice time before he signs?
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