Things are not looking good for Arber Xhekaj and his place in the Canadiens' lineup
Arber Xhekaj is giving Martin St-Louis no easy call, but Noah Dobson's return could still push him out of the Canadiens' lineup.
That's the squeeze now building in Montreal.
The news around Dobson has turned positive, and that immediately puts pressure on the left side of the blue line.
According to the report, Dobson is back on the ice after landing in the 2-week re-evaluation window set by the organization.
He was said to be dealing with a thumb issue that carried a 4-to-6-week absence.
In the playoffs, timelines move fast. And when a high-end defenseman is close, somebody lower in the rotation starts feeling the heat.
Right now, that player looks like Xhekaj. T
hat's the hard part, because his game against the Tampa Bay Lightning has been hard, controlled, and useful.
He hasn't looked like a passenger in sheltered minutes. He's looked engaged, physical, and steady in the kind of playoff shifts that can swing bench trust.
Montreal may sit the wrong defenseman in Arber Xhekaj
The report points to Xhekaj and Jayden Struble handling their 5-on-5 work well in a limited role. That matters, because third-pair stability becomes a real weapon in a tight series.
Xhekaj has also brought something Montreal can't fake.
He protects teammates, plays with edge, and stays inside the structure instead of chasing chaos.
St-Louis already praised him before the series even opened.
That makes this decision tougher, not easier, because the coaching staff knows exactly what Xhekaj has given them.
The problem is the rest of the board. Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, and Alexandre Carrier all look locked into their spots, and Struble has held his ground too.
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That leaves Xhekaj in the danger zone, even after some of his best hockey.
It's a rough outcome for a player who may have changed the internal debate with his play.
Montreal can call it a good problem. For Xhekaj, it still feels like bad timing.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 28 | 514 ANSWERS Things are not looking good for Arber Xhekaj and his place in the Canadiens' lineup Should Arber Xhekaj stay in the Canadiens' lineup when Noah Dobson returns ? | ||
| Yes | 358 | 69.6 % |
| No | 156 | 30.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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HIER
4 MAI 2026
| ||||
| B | P | PTS | ||
| Nikolaj Ehlers | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sean Couturier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jamie Drysdale | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mikael Granlund | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| John Carlson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Carl Grundstrom | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jackson Lacombe | - | 1 | 1 | |
| K'Andre Miller | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jordan Staal | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sean Walker | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | - | - | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| STATS COMPLÈTES | ||||