Arber Xhekaj Sent Down Because Of a Fight With Head Coach? A Possibility That Could Explain Why He Was Sent Down To The AHL
Arber Xhekaj has been a fan favorite among Canadiens fans since he burst into the NHL last season. His fans might be feeling a little nervous now as rumors about the player could mean he is falling out of favor with the organization.
Reported Altercation With Head Coach Leads To Demotion For Xhekaj
The 22-year-old defenseman reportedly got involved in a heated argument with head coach Martin St. Louis earlier this season regarding his role on the team. His coach allegedly wanted him to play a less aggressive game because he was taking more penalties than St. Louis was comfortable with.
Xhekaj being too aggressive & taking a lot of penalties is a valid concern in his game & needs to be fixed
But, a Xhekaj fight when we've been down 4-0 could have done some good for the team recently
For me, the positives outweigh the negatives in his role on a 3rd pair
After Xhekaj was suspiciously demoted to the AHL today, many fans now believe his future with the team is in murky territory.
Xhekaj Could Be Traded By Canadiens This Season
The Canadiens officially announced Xhekaj's move as a loan to Laval. The story seems to be that this is intended as a conditioning assignment. However, such a move does not make sense as conditioning assignments have traditionally only been used in cases where players miss upwards of half a season or more. The 22-year-old Blueliner has been out for less than a month with a relatively minor injury.
Conditioning stint is usually when a player has been out for 6 months (like Price and Gally in 2021).
It is not used for when a player has missed 2 weeks of play for a minor injury. Xhekaj was demoted.
@lapochebleue
(who are accredited with the Habs), have confirmed as well.
As a result of this suspicious activity, many now believe that Xhekaj has fallen out of favor with the organization. Some even believe he will be traded before the end of the season. This is all speculation of course, but the signs seem to be pointing towards that general direction.
As seen on MAJOR: The Shocking Reason Xhekaj Was Sent Down Emerges
POLL |
Do you believe Xhekaj was demoted because of his disagreement with Marin St. Louis? |
Yes | 60 | 54.1 % |
Possible, but probably not | 34 | 30.6 % |
No way | 17 | 15.3 % |
List of polls |
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Previously on HouseOfHockey