Canadiens' Xhekaj, Barron must prove they're worth more than new contracts

MONTREAL— The values might be slightly different on the contracts Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron signed with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, but both deals came with the exact same mandate — for each player to prove they’re worth more.

Xhekaj signed for $2.6 million through 2026, Barron for $2.3 million over the same term, and neither of them were given more coming out of entry-level deals because neither has established himself as a sure bet to this point. The former has 95 games of NHL experience, the latter 94, and there’s still plenty to be discovered about both players.

Will the six-foot-four, 238-pound Xhekaj be able to blend his brute physicality and playmaking ability with a stable defensive game that propels him to the top four of the Canadiens’ defence? Will the offensively gifted Barron find the confidence to consistently assert himself at both ends of the ice?

If we had answers to these questions, we’d be evaluating long-term contracts on this day rather than the bridge deals the Canadiens signed with both players.

The Canadiens bought themselves a little time with each of them, but both players shouldn’t waste a second in pursuit of a larger piece of the pie.

Xhekaj embarks on that challenge eager to show he can be a foundational part of a future championship team. As he said via Zoom, a little over two hours after his contract was announced, “There’s obviously a role for a guy like me and, on a lot of teams, there’s an important role for a guy like me,” and he was absolutely right about that.

The 23-year-old is a unicorn of sorts, offering a rare mix of brawn and skill every team covets on the back end. 

But he’s still raw. 

This season offers Xhekaj a platform to polish out the kinks in his game and reach some of his massive upside, and he knows he must step up to it.

“Next year is a big year for me,” Xhekaj said, and he may have been understating it. 

It is a year for him to show he can better straddle the razor-thin line he must play on to be effective, with a focus on not stepping over it as often as he has through his first two seasons in the NHL. It is a year for him to refine his defensive game and show he can be relied on more frequently than he has been to date. It is a year for him to capitalize on the skill that’s only seen him scratch the surface of his offensive potential in producing eight goals and 23 points. 

And health will be a determinant on all fronts.

It hasn’t been on Xhekaj’s side through the first two seasons, which both ended with him under the knife rather than on the ice.

Now, with a second shoulder surgically repaired in as many years, Xhekaj feels physically prepared for what lies ahead.

“This summer’s been excellent for me,” Xhekaj said. “I haven’t taken any steps back. Recovery’s been great and our rehab team here has been doing amazing. And when I was in Montreal, they were doing an amazing job with me. The surgery went well, so everyone was really happy with it. I’m pretty much almost fully ready to go right now…

“I feel strong, moving good weight in the gym, and I’ll be back for training camp with no worries.”

That’s crucial for him given the competition he’s entering.

It will be fierce, with Mike Matheson, David Savard and Kaiden Guhle locked into spots, and Jordan Harris, Jayden Struble, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher all angling to displace Xhekaj and Barron.

Aside from bigger paycheques hitting their back accounts this season, nothing is guaranteed for those last two. 

For Barron, a former first-round pick who was acquired via trade with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, the time is now for him to do what he hasn’t quite been able to do in two seasons in the Canadiens’ organization — cement his place in the big leagues.

The 22-year-old said, during a Zoom call that followed Xhekaj’s, that his goal is “coming in and establishing my spot as a full-time NHL player.”

“I’m coming in at the start of camp with the mindset to make the team and be in the starting lineup,” Barron added.

He has the ability to do it. The puck-moving skills, too. Not to mention the offensive ability that’s seen him produce 12 goals and 30 points over various small stints in the NHL to date.

If Barron has the self-belief that’s been lacking at times over his short professional career, he may just capitalize on his goal.

After collecting 107 games of American Hockey League experience since being drafted 25^th overall by the Avalanche in 2020, there’s no better time than now.

It’s not a stretch to say it has to be right now for both Barron and Xhekaj. There are two players of relatively equal experience (Harris and Struble) jockeying for their positions and three supremely talented ones with hardly any experience (Hutson, Mailloux and Reinbacher) nipping at their heels, and there are only so many dollars to go around.

Barron and Xhekaj are now guaranteed more of them than they’ve ever made before, but it’s up to them to prove they’re worth a larger investment down the line.