Arber Xhekaj's agent sends a clear message about his future in Montreal
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Arber Xhekaj's agent says there is no panic in Montreal.
The Canadiens defenseman built that calm himself on July 5.
That was the salary arbitration filing deadline, and Xhekaj let it pass. Kirby Dach filed; Xhekaj did not.
Brian Bartlett, who represents Xhekaj with his brother Scott at Bartlett Hockey, framed the standoff as patience rather than pressure.
“He loves playing in Montreal, he loves the fans, he loves the city…Our hope collectively…is that we can find a way to make it work in Montreal.”
“The Montreal Canadiens are going to do what's best (for them), and Arber Xhekaj will do what's best (for him)…We still have a lot of time until training camp, there's no panic.”
- Brian Bartlett
- Brian Bartlett
Bartlett told The Game Plan on TSN 690 that Xhekaj loves the city and the fans, and that both sides still have time before training camp. He is right, and the reason is mechanical.
What skipping arbitration actually preserved
Filing would have locked Xhekaj into a hearing date and closed the door on offer sheets. Passing on it kept that door open until December 1.
That matters because of where the 2026 compensation tiers landed.
Any rival can offer Xhekaj up to $1,575,969 per season and owe Montreal nothing at all.
His qualifying offer is $1.3 million.
So roughly $276,000 in annual salary separates Kent Hughes from a scenario where another team sets Xhekaj's price for free.
The number Montreal is really watching
Push the offer to $2,387,832 and the cost is a single 2027 third-round pick. That is close to nothing for a 25-year-old who led the Canadiens with 178 hits and 116 penalty minutes last season.
The counterweight is usage.
Xhekaj averaged 11:25 per night in 65 games and just 8:06 across 13 playoff appearances, which is why nobody has pulled the trigger yet.
He is not eligible for unrestricted free agency until July 2028, so term decides whether Montreal buys those years or hands them back.
Montreal would almost certainly match anything in the free tier, and Hughes knows it. That is the point, because matching means paying more than the qualifying offer he tendered in June.
Xhekaj cannot force a raise.
He can make one arrive from somewhere else.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
The real reason Eddie Olczyk is leaving the Seattle Kraken broadcast booth
The real reason Eddie Olczyk is leaving the Seattle Kraken broadcast booth