Arber Xhekaj signed for one year in Montreal, and he did not pretend that was the deal he wanted.
The Habs Reddit account posted the scrum Thursday and it has already pulled 18,000 views.
"Am I happy? Well obviously I'd like to stay for longer term but this kinda gives me a chance to work for the next deal," he said.
"I'd love to sign long-term here or longer than one year. I think I can make that happen."
Look at the regular season and the club's position makes sense. Four points across 65 games with a minus-8 rating on a $1.3 million cap hit.
Then the playoffs flipped it. Thirteen games, two points, and a plus-5 rating while most of that lineup went the other way.
That is the whole argument in two lines. One version of him is a depth body, the other is a guy you want on the ice in May.
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Arber Xhekaj's honest reaction to his Canadiens contract is going viral
The club has him listed with a groin issue and not expected back until at least October 23. That is a month of minutes sitting on the table.
Nobody hands those out for free either. Lane Hutson is coming off 78 points at plus-36 while making $950,000.
Jayden Struble is the other body in that conversation. Twelve points in 59 games is not a wall anybody is scaling.
Michael Matheson and Alexandre Carrier both dressed for all 19 playoff dates. Those two are not losing shifts to anyone this fall.
The expensive question is on the right side. Noah Dobson carries $9.5 million and finished the postseason with one point and a -7 rating across 13 games.
That is the context for a one year contract. Montreal has money committed elsewhere and wanted to see more before adding term.
The team around all of it is good. The Canadiens went 48-24-10 and finished sixth overall.
They also went the distance twice, beating Tampa Bay in seven and Buffalo in seven before Carolina ended it in five.
Camp has 19 defencemen on the list. Somebody in that group is getting sent home in a hurry.
So what does a 25 year old actually have to show in a month to earn term?
A one year deal is a lease, not a mortgage. The club gets to watch how you treat the place before signing anything longer.
Two games against Toronto on Saturday, then the opener there on September 29. He said he can make it happen, and October just handed him the chance to prove it.
Should the Canadiens have given Arber Xhekaj more than one year?
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