The Montreal Canadiens got their last piece of offseason business done on Tuesday with a new one-year deal for defenseman Arber Xhekaj. He was a restricted free agent this summer, and it took almost the entire summer to agree on a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.
Xhekaj has played in 230 games with the Montreal Canadiens over the past four seasons and is one of the more physical players on the roster. During this stretch, he has 642 total hits and has finished in the Top 2 on the team in three of those four seasons.
This was never a case where the Canadiens didn't want to bring Xhekaj back or where Xhekaj didn't want to play in Montreal. The biggest hurdle was whether or not he was going to have a consistent role on this blueline.
Towards the end of last season, Xhekaj was the seventh defenseman and really only saw ice time when the team had an injury. Entering this season, Xhekaj will again have a chance to earn a regular spot as Kaiden Guhle could miss the start of the season.
Montreal Canadiens and Arber Xhekaj come away as winners with this contract
Arber Xhekaj probably would have preferred to sign a long-term deal, especially if he wanted to remain in Montreal and have a chance to play with his brother Florian. However, he probably didn't want to commit long-term if there really wasn't a logical path to being in the Top 6 every game.
By signing a one-year deal, both sides have plenty of options going into this season. As mentioned, Xhekaj has a great chance to earn a Top 6 spot coming out of training camp. If he plays well, the Canadiens will have to make a decision about whether or not to keep him in the lineup once Kaiden Guhle returns, but if he is playing well, there really is no reason to take him out.
However, if they want to get Guhle in the lineup, then Xhekaj would have plenty of value on the trade market. The Canadiens probably get more with a midseason trade than by moving him during the summer.
If the Canadiens don't trade Xhekaj during the season, then it gives them a little more clarity on what his role might be in 2027-28. The Canadiens have Alexandre Carrier set to be an unrestricted free agent and Jayden Struble a restricted free agent after this season.
At that point, Kent Hughes will have a clearer picture of which players are long-term pieces for this blueline, and Xhekaj might finally get that multi-year contract to be a part of the blueline for the Montreal Canadiens.
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