Tough defender Arber Xhekaj is grabbing attention at Montreal Canadiens training camp and could force the organization’s hand according to Renaud Lavoie.
It’s not a secret, there are positions to grab on the blue line of the Habs. Only fullbacks Michael Matheson, Joel Edmundson (currently on the injured list), David Savard and Chris Wideman have virtually a guaranteed position.
This means that there are at least two to three chairs to fill. Youngsters Justin Barron, Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, American Hockey League (AHL) veteran Corey Schueneman and Xhekaj are battling for roles to fill.
“In Thursday night’s game against the Jets, Xhekaj was on the power play while Kaiden Guhle was not. My impression is that the CH know what Guhle can give on the striker with five and that the staff wanted to see what Arber could bring. For me, that means a lot”, left Renaud Lavoie waiting on the show JiC, Friday night.
A post on the right for Kaiden Guhle?
In an ideal world, left-handed defenders play on the left and right-handed defenders play on the right. Of course, some exceptions exist. Martin St-Louis’ chessboard lists many left-handers while right-handers are becoming rarer, an additional headache for the Quebec driver.
“At practice on Friday, Kaiden Guhle of left side practiced on the right. It seems that the organization is trying to make room for the left, in which case Xhekaj practically becomes the logical candidate,” added Lavoie.
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