Montreal Canadiens’ Arber Xhekaj is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury
The Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday that rookie Arber Xhekaj would be out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.
Le défenseur Arber Xhekaj a subi une blessure au haut du corps contre les Oilers d’Edmonton dimanche dernier et sera absent pour une durée indéterminée.
Defenseman Arber Xhekaj is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury suffered Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers.
Xhekaj was injured during Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers when he and Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais got into a spirited scrap. Xhekaj was looking at his hand, while also pointing to his shoulder while heading off the ice; his body language did not look encouraging.
The Canadiens rookie sensation currently has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 51 games; he actively leads all Canadiens defensemen in the goals column. Xhekaj has also accumulated 101 penalty minutes and according to HockeyFights.com, he has nine fighting majors this season. That fight total has him in a three-way tie for second in the league with San Jose Sharks’ Jonah Gadjovich and Nashville Predators’ Tanner Jeannot.
Xhekaj made the jump to the NHL this season following a remarkable journey that saw him grind through the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as an undrafted prospect. He joined the Kitchener Rangers organization in 2018 on a free agent tryout and quickly made an impact as a physical presence. In October of 2021, just as the OHL season was ramping up, Xhekaj signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens. He blew the rookie camp away and was invited to the main training camp. During the 2021-22 OHL season, he was dealt to the Hamilton Bulldogs to help them on their run to the Memorial Cup. While unsuccessful, Xhekaj posted 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 18 games to help the Bulldogs capture the OHL championship.
The 22-year-old made his NHL debut on Oct 12, 2022, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. That night, he became the first player in NHL history to have a surname beginning with the letter X. He scored his first NHL goal against the Dallas Stars on Oct 22nd. Xhekaj made his mark on the NHL when he fought and obliterated longtime tough guy Zack Kassian in what was Xhekaj’s first NHL fight. With a number of injuries plaguing the Canadiens, losing Xhekaj puts a hole in the blue line. However, Chris Wideman will slot into the lineup.
The Canadiens are last in the Atlantic Division with a record of 22-27-4.