Despite loaning defenceman Arber Xhekaj to AHL Laval over a month ago, the Montreal Canadiens are not engaging in trade talks surrounding the blue liner.
The 22-year-old went on injured reserve in November with an upper-body injury, and upon his return on Dec. 4, the Canadiens sent him to join the Laval Rocket in a move head coach Martin St. Louis described as, "a part of his process."
In 17 games with the AHL club, Xhekaj has three goals, eight assists and 34 penalty minutes.
"From what I've heard a number of teams have called Montreal and said, 'well since he's down there, does that mean you're opinion on him has changed and he could be available?'" Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported during the Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Day in Canada. "I understand from Montreal it's been a flat 'no' about Xhekaj, and there have been a couple of teams that have asked."
An undrafted free agent, Xhekaj was in his second year with the Canadiens, posting one goal, three points and 47 penalty minutes in 17 games before going on the IR.
Montreal currently has depth on the blue line with the likes of Mike Matheson, David Savard, Kaiden Guhle, Struble, Jordan Harris, Johnathan Kovacevic and Justin Barron in the NHL, current American Hockey League players Xhekaj and Logan Mailloux, and highly touted prospects Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher making up the defensive core.
Montreal has 31 goals by defencemen this season, which ranks second in the NHL. The team's 81 goals by forwards is second-last.
Earlier this week, general manager Kent Hughes spoke on the potential of dealing from a position of strength to potentially boost the Canadiens forward group.
"Where we have chances to rebalance the ledger, so to speak, we'll pursue them,” he said. “Do I feel like we have a gun to our head to do that right now? No, not at all.
“Are we looking to add offence to this group? Yeah, no question about it,” he later added. “(We could) either use young players that we have — (where) we feel there's just a logjam at the position — or draft picks."
- With files from The Canadian Press.
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