Arber Xhekaj keeps getting phone calls made about him, and the Montreal Canadiens still aren't picking up with real interest.
Per NHL insider David Pagnotta, multiple teams have checked in on the physical young defenseman, with the Philadelphia Flyers among those still circling.
Nothing here is close though. Pagnotta's own reporting frames this as teams calling, not Montreal actively shopping him.
GM Kent Hughes is reportedly using this interest to gauge Xhekaj's market value while simultaneously working through a new contract with him.
Xhekaj is an unsigned restricted free agent right now, still eligible to receive an offer sheet from any rival club.
His traditional numbers won't wow anybody. He posted 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points in 65 games last season, adding 178 hits and 116 penalty minutes.
In the playoffs, he added 2 points and finished plus-5 across 13 appearances, physical presence that doesn't always show up on a scoresheet.
Xhekaj's limited playoff minutes raise a real question
At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Xhekaj is exactly the kind of size and deterrence teams struggle to find in a 25-year-old still years from his prime.
Head coach Martin St-Louis used him carefully in the postseason though, just 8 minutes and 6 seconds a night across those 13 games.
That usage raises a fair question about whether Montreal sees him as an everyday matchup defenseman or a specialized weapon in shorter bursts.
Montreal's internal options don't offer the same profile. David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom bring skill, but neither replaces Xhekaj's size or edge.
Montreal projects around $9,780,000 in cap space right now, plenty of room to get a bridge deal done without creating any real problem elsewhere.
A modest bridge in the $1,800,000 to $2,750,000 range would still leave the Canadiens with over $7,000,000 to work with on other additions.
Philadelphia's continued interest tracks with its history of valuing physical hockey, but interest alone isn't the same as an actual offer on the table.
A single second round pick shouldn't be enough to pry him loose. Montreal is past the point of treating every useful roster player as a future asset to flip.
If a team wants Xhekaj, it likely takes a young top-six forward or a real package that upgrades Montreal's offense in return.
Nothing here suggests urgency on either side, and a new contract with Montreal still looks like the most realistic outcome before the season starts.
Should the Canadiens trade Arber Xhekaj if a team offers a top-six forward?
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