On Sunday, the Montreal Canadiens made a surprising lineup decision ahead of their game against the Carolina Hurricanes. They elected to move defenseman Arber Xhekaj up to forward in place of Josh Anderson, as it was not only his first time in the NHL playing with the forwards but his first game at all since March 15th.
The Canadiens limited his minutes to only 5:11 in the Hurricanes game, but he made the most of every moment on the ice as he finished with five hits and one blocked shot. It may not jump out of the box score, but his teammates certainly appreciated how much of a challenge it was playing a whole new position and received the team award after the game.
Tampa, on s'en vient
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 30, 2026
Tampa, here we come#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/x5GLRoL08n
Montreal Canadiens make a roster move that indicates this may not be a one-time thing for Arber Xhekaj
This has been a tough season for Xhekaj, who played in 55 games prior to the Hurricanes game this season but had fallen out of the rotation on the blue line. However, on the fourth line the Canadiens can play to his strength, which is physicality and forechecking. These are two great things to have on the roster, especially when looking ahead to the playoffs.
There is no guarantee that the Canadiens will use Xhekaj on the fourth line in the playoffs but it does seem that this move to the forwards is going to be permanent through the rest of the season.
On Monday, the Canadiens called up defenseman Adam Engstrom from Laval, which was surprising in itself. The expectation was that if the Canadiens called up any defenseman, it would have been David Reinbacher, who looks ready to contribute now for the Canadiens.
However, the move to call up Engstrom probably wasn't to step into the lineup but rather be the seventh defenseman on the roster, a role Xhekaj used to fill.
The Canadiens are set to play the Lightning on Tuesday, and practice should give some clarity in terms of lines. If Anderson is healthy and ready to return, he probably takes his spot back while Xhekaj returns as a reserve forward.