Arber Xhekaj

Arber Xhekaj

23-Year-Old DefensemanD
Montreal Canadiens
2024 Fantasy Outlook
In 44 NHL outings last season, Xhekaj registered three goals, seven assists and 61 shots while averaging 15:56 of ice time. While his offensive contributions were somewhat limited, the 23-year-old blueliner certainly threw his body around, racking up 125 hits. Assuming he is fully recovered from a shoulder injury that impacted his 2023-24 campaign, the Ontario native could be in line to log a full season in the NHL, rather than having to split his time in the minors. At best, Xhekaj could push for the 25-point mark and will really only add enough value in formats that heavily utilize the hits category. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract with the Canadiens in July of 2024.
Pots goal Friday
DMontreal Canadiens
December 20, 2024
Xhekaj scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 4-3 win over the Red Wings.
ANALYSIS
Xhekaj ended a five-game point drought with his game-tying goal in the third period, which was his first tally of the season. The 23-year-old defenseman didn't do much on offense early on -- all five of his points have come over the last 15 games. He's added 33 shots on net, 43 PIM, 31 blocked shots, 76 hits and a minus-5 rating through 29 outings overall. Xhekaj looks set to continue playing a physical role in the Canadiens' bottom four, though he may have to compete with Jayden Struble for the last spot in the lineup since Alexandre Carrier was brought in a swap that sent frequent scratch Justin Barron to Nashville.
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NHL Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2024 NHL Game Log
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2023 NHL Game Log
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2024–25 Time On Ice Stats
  • Average Time On Ice:
    15:43
  • Average Power Play TOI:
    0:04
  • Average Short-Handed TOI:
    1:26
 
Ice Time
Power Play
Short-Handed
2022–23
15:16
0:46
0:16
2023–24
15:56
1:01
0:20
2024–25
15:43
0:04
1:26
Canadiens Depth Chart
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Canadiens Power Play Depth Chart
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2023 Fantasy Outlook
The man they call "Wi-Fi" took Montreal training camp by storm a year ago, playing his way onto the Opening Night roster. Xhekaj appeared in 51 of the club's first 53 games (5 goals, 13 points) before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury which required surgery. Xhekaj is a throwback. He's a tough-as-nails rearguard who makes life miserable for opposing forwards. In the 51 games in which he played, Xhekaj tallied 101 penalty minutes and 159 hits. The offensive production here is, and will continue to be, limited, but Xhekaj has legitimate late-round value in formats which value PIM and hits.
More Fantasy News
Contributes helper in win
DMontreal Canadiens
December 6, 2024
Xhekaj notched an assist, three hits, three blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Predators.
ANALYSIS
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Logs assist, PIM in loss
DMontreal Canadiens
December 2, 2024
Xhekaj had an assist, two shots on net, two blocked shots, four hits and 12 PIM in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Bruins.
ANALYSIS
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Deals helper
DMontreal Canadiens
November 26, 2024
Xhekaj notched an assist, seven hits and two PIM in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to Utah.
ANALYSIS
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Assist, fight in win
DMontreal Canadiens
November 17, 2024
Xhekaj recorded an assist, two blocked shots, five PIM and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Blue Jackets.
ANALYSIS
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Returns to lineup
DMontreal Canadiens
October 26, 2024
Xhekaj had three hits in Saturday's 5-2 win over St. Louis.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Not getting hearing
DMontreal Canadiens
October 2, 2024
Xhekaj won't receive a hearing for his hit on Ottawa's Tim Stutzle during Tuesday's preseason contest, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
ANALYSIS
Stutzle left the game with an upper-body injury as a result of the play. Xhekaj, who signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract with Montreal on July 30, already received a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct against Toronto's Cedric Pare during Saturday's exhibition game. The 23-year-old Xhekaj has 182 PIM over 95 career NHL appearances and is likely to spend a lot of time in the sin bin in 2024-25.
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