Canadiens Trade Rumors: Division Rival Interested in Arber Xhekaj

After being a healthy scratch for two games, defenceman Arber Xhekaj found his way back into the Montreal Canadiens' lineup on Saturday night, and fared quite well as noted by head coach Martin St. Louis.

“I thought he (Arber Xhekaj) was excellent, throughout the game…The stuff that we talked about that kept him out, I felt like tonight he was very engaged in applying everything that we’ve been working on, talking with. So I’m happy for him.”

- Coach Marty St. Louis tonight pic.twitter.com/FhYDOTTHNy
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 27, 2024

“I thought he was excellent throughout the game," said St. Louis. "The stuff that we talked about that kept him out, I felt like tonight he was very engaged in applying everything that we’ve been working on, talking with. So I’m happy for him.”

The question is, will other teams come calling, wondering if the Habs would be willing to trade Xhekaj? Stu Cowan in the Montreal Gazette recently wrote that "Trade winds (are) already blowing and Arber Xhekaj's name is mentioned."

Cowan also wrote:

A team that would almost certainly be interested in Xhekaj is Ottawa. Senators owner Michael Andlauer is a big Xhekaj fan after the defenceman helped lead the Hamilton Bulldogs to the 2022 OHL championship. Andlauer still owns the Bulldogs, who moved to Brantford last season.

The Senators are off to a 4-3-0 start this season, one point up on the Canadiens, who are 3-4-1. It would certainly be a surprise to see these two bitter rivals conduct a trade, but given Andlauer's connection to Xhekaj, it wouldn't be a total shock.