Can Arber Xhekaj Seize His Opportunity with the Canadiens?

With the news that Alex Carrier is set to miss 2-4 weeks with an upper body injury, it seems that Xhekaj can finally get some consistent game time. In order to stay in the lineup, and not get St-Louis thinking of inserting Engstrom, Xhekaj needs to play his game, while remaining within the structure established by the coaching staff. So what does Xhekaj need to do?

How Xhekaj Can Impress St-Louis: Simplify His Skating Game

Xhekaj is a very good skater and he needs to use that skill in order to create space when he has the puck and make the simple play in order to leave the defensive zone. I want to see him skate more and make effective passes to the forwards skating towards the neutral zone. So far, he has done well in this respect, but he needs to be noticeable in this area. Also, he needs to make the right offensive play when entering the zone. At times, I found he was over complicating things. All he needs to do is use his speed and make the obvious, safe play.

Boosting the Canadiens' Offense: Getting Xhekaj's Heavy Shot on Net

Along with being a good skater, Xhekaj has a really heavy shot. He needs to find a way to position himself in a shooting lane in order to unload a slap shot, for even better a one timer. If he can generate some more offence, this will undoubtedly keep him in the lineup. Now the one obvious thing here is St-Louis needs to play him more than 8 minutes in order for him to show what he can do.

Discipline is Key: Xhekaj Must Avoid the Penalty Box

The last thing is the more obvious one, he needs to stay out of the box. I'm not saying he cant mix it up, but he cant get sucked into a situation where the refs take one guy and it's him. Furthermore, he cant negate a power play in antics after the whistle. If he can pick his spots, while continuing his aggressive, physical play, he'll be a real force out there.

All in all, Xhekaj has all the tools too be an effective player in the NHL. He just needs to put it all together, while St-Louis needs to trust him a littler more so he can display all the areas of his game and help the team.

Source: Arber Xhekaj @ Elite Prospects