Canadiens sign Arber Xhekaj to two-year, $2.6 million contract
The Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday they agreed to terms with defenseman Arber Xhekaj on a two-year, $2.6 million contract through the 2025-26 season.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a two-year contract (2024-25 to 2025-26) with defenseman Arber Xhekaj.
News release ↓ #GoHabsGohttps://t.co/thE0cyLWcY
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 30, 2024
The deal carries an average annual value of $1.3 million.
Arber Xhekaj: 2 years x $1.3 mil. https://t.co/L5RCr5vhmC
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 30, 2024
The 23-year-old blueliner played 44 games for the Canadiens in 2023-24, recording three goals and seven assists for 10 points, as well as 81 penalty minutes and 125 hits.
He also played 17 games last season with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, scoring three goals and eight assists for 11 points and 34 penalty minutes.
His season ended early after sustaining a shoulder injury in an April 4 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, requiring surgery soon after.
Before joining the Canadiens, Xhekaj played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, spending the first two with the Kitchener Rangers, then being traded to the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2021-22. He would be a big part of the Bulldogs’ playoff run, helping them defeat the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL Final in seven games and winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup
He would join the Canadiens as an undrafted free agent, signing a three-year, entry-level deal in October 2021. He was expected to spend most of the 2022-23 season with the AHL’s Rocket, but injuries and his physical play earned him a full-time spot in the Montreal lineup.
In his rookie season, he scored five goals and eight assists for 13 points and 101 penalty minutes in 51 games.
The Canadiens finished the 2023-24 season with a 30-36-16 record and 76 points, second-last in the Eastern Conference and last in the Atlantic Division.