Montreal Canadiens Re-Sign Arber Xhekaj to Multi-Year Deal

The Montreal Canadiens have made a notable move, as they have re-signed defenseman Arber Xhekaj to a two-year, $2.6 million contract ($1.3 million AAV).

The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a two-year contract (2024-25 to 2025-26) with defenseman Arber Xhekaj.

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Xhekaj, 23, was a restricted free agent, but now the Canadiens have gotten him locked up with this nice bridge deal. The Hamilton, Ontario native will now look to take a big step forward in his development during the duration of his new contract from here.

Xhekaj has become a nice part of the Canadiens' blue line over the last two seasons, and the potential for him to become an even more important defenseman on their roster is certainly there. This is because he is a big and mean shutdown defenseman who plays a very heavy game.

Xhekaj appeared in 44 games this past season with the Canadiens, where he had three goals, 10 points, 81 penalty minutes, and 125 hits. This was after he had five goals, 13 points, and 159 hits in 51 games for the Canadiens as a rookie during the 2022-23 season.

Overall, this is a good contract for both the team and the player. Xhekaj is getting a nice raise from it, while the Canadiens are keeping one of their top young defenders around. It will be very interesting to see how well Xhekaj performs under his new deal from here.