The Montreal Canadiens may not be finished making moves, and one of the most intriguing names to watch is defenseman Arber Xhekaj.
Pierre McGuire added fuel to the Canadiens rumor mill when he recently suggested on air, “I think the CH is going to make a trade soon.” The important distinction is that McGuire did not identify Xhekaj or any Montreal player as the piece Kent Hughes intends to move. A subsequent report connected the dots to Xhekaj because of Montreal’s crowded blue line and the defenseman’s unsettled contract situation.
That makes this less about whether Xhekaj has officially been placed on the trade block and more about a fascinating question facing Hughes: if another Montreal Canadiens trade is coming, is Xhekaj one of the organization’s most logical trade chips?
My read is that the answer is yes, but only at the right price.
Xhekaj is too useful, too young and too unique for Montreal to simply move him for the sake of making a trade. However, if Hughes can package Xhekaj in a deal that improves the Canadiens somewhere higher in the lineup, the conversation becomes much more interesting.
Why Arber Xhekaj Has Become a Montreal Canadiens Trade Candidate
Montreal’s organizational depth on defense is the biggest reason Xhekaj’s name deserves attention.
PuckPedia notes that Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson and Kaiden Guhle are all under contract through at least 2030-31, while David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom and Bryce Pickford are among the younger defensemen pushing toward future NHL opportunities. That gives Hughes something every general manager wants: depth at a position other organizations are constantly trying to upgrade.
Xhekaj also brings attributes that are difficult to replace.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenseman played 65 regular-season games in 2025-26, producing one goal and three assists. His offensive numbers aren’t the reason teams would call Montreal. Xhekaj led the Canadiens with 148 hits and 116 penalty minutes, with his penalty-minute total ranking fifth in the NHL. He also appeared in 13 playoff games.
There is real value in that profile.
Teams can find bottom-pair defensemen. Finding one who can legitimately change the physical temperature of a game, protect teammates and still handle NHL minutes is more difficult.
That is why I wouldn’t view Xhekaj as a throw-in.
Arber Xhekaj Career NHL Stats
| Type | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 230 | 10 | 23 | 33 | -24 |
| Playoffs | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
The Canadiens’ Cap Situation Changes the Xhekaj Trade Conversation
There is another important element to this rumor that shouldn’t be overlooked: Montreal doesn’t need to trade Xhekaj simply to create salary-cap space.
PuckPedia currently projects the Canadiens at approximately $9.78 million in cap space against the NHL’s $104 million ceiling. Xhekaj, meanwhile, remains an unsigned restricted free agent after his previous two-year contract carrying a $1.3 million cap hit expired following the 2025-26 season. His qualifying offer is $1.3 million.
That creates an important distinction.
Trading Xhekaj’s unsigned RFA rights today would not suddenly give Montreal another $1.3 million in current cap space because his expired contract is no longer sitting against the Canadiens’ 2026-27 cap.
Instead, moving him would allow Montreal to avoid whatever salary he eventually signs for.
These figures are illustrative scenarios rather than reports about Xhekaj’s asking price.
That matters because it changes the motivation behind a potential deal. This wouldn’t need to be a salary dump. It could be an asset-management trade.
Arber Xhekaj Trade Value Score: 73/100
This isn’t intended to predict an exact NHL trade return. Instead, it illustrates why I believe Xhekaj has considerably more value than a generic third-pair defenseman.
His offensive ceiling suppresses the score, but his age, physicality, restricted-free-agent status and ability to play a role that many playoff teams covet push his value higher.
In my view, Montreal would be making a mistake trading Xhekaj solely for a draft pick unless the return significantly exceeded expectations.
The more logical scenario would be using him as part of a larger package.
Would Kent Hughes Actually Trade Arber Xhekaj?
That’s ultimately the biggest question.
There is currently no confirmation from Kent Hughes or the Montreal Canadiens that Xhekaj is being shopped. Even the report that triggered the latest speculation makes clear that McGuire did not identify the player involved and that there is reason to remain skeptical about whether a deal actually materializes.
But Xhekaj makes sense as someone opposing general managers would ask about.
Montreal has established NHL defensemen. It has highly regarded younger defensemen coming. And the Canadiens are now positioned to make decisions based on winning, rather than simply accumulating future assets.
That changes everything.
My observation is that Hughes should not be asking, “What can I get for Arber Xhekaj?”
He should be asking:
“Can Arber Xhekaj help me acquire a player who makes the Montreal Canadiens materially better?”
If the answer is yes, then this rumor becomes worth watching.
If the offers amount to mid-round picks or replaceable depth, I’d keep him.
Physical defensemen who are 25 years old and already comfortable playing in Montreal aren’t assets I’d be eager to surrender.
But with McGuire suggesting another Canadiens trade could be approaching and Montreal possessing enough defensive depth to deal from a position of strength, Arber Xhekaj is legitimately one of the players worth monitoring as training camp gets closer.
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