What the Canadiens’ Next Deal with RFA Arber Xhekaj Should Look Like

Anyone growing impatient over Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj remaining unsigned should keep a few things in mind:

• He’s not exactly alone, with forward Zachary Bolduc, a fellow restricted free agent, having yet to re-sign either. And it’s unlikely the Habs have forgotten about either of them, let alone both.
• As much as the Habs reportedly still covet prospect David Reinbacher, all signs still point to them trusting Xhekaj more.

That last point is key, because, despite TVA journalist Anthony Martineau having said the Canadiens hope Reinbacher can earn a roster spot with the team out of training camp, they still played the left-handed Xhekaj over him in the playoffs when winning mattered most… and logic might have indicated they go with the right-handed Austrian to replace Noah Dobson, who went down with injury in Game 80 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Yet, instead of Reinbacher, the Habs played the left-handed Xhekaj opposite fellow-lefties Jayden Struble and also Kaiden Guhle for the majority of the admittedly miniscule 105:12 he played in the playoffs (8:06 per game).

Xhekaj Continues to Be Canadiens’ Last Resort

Of course, fans of the rugged defenseman would prefer to see Xhekaj play more and there’s little way to sugarcoat the fact his time on ice not only went down relative to the regular season (11:25), but that his regular-season time on ice also decreased relative to in 2024-25 (14:37). Nevertheless, when the stakes were highest, the Canadiens turned to him, which is an improvement over how head coach Martin St. Louis only dressed Xhekaj in Game 3 of the team’s 2025 first-round series against the Washington Capitals, as a seemingly last resort.

The move to inject physicality into the lineup paid immediate dividends with a win to cut the series deficit to 2-1. It even seemed to shift the overall momentum in the team’s favour, as they led Game 4 in the third period, before, of all things, a hit by Tom Wilson (on Alexandre Carrier) indirectly led to the game-tying goal and ultimately a lopsided five-game loss. Twists of fate like that should have put the onus on the Canadiens to commit to playing (and developing) Xhekaj more, not less, in 2025-26, and yet the Habs undeniably improved as a team, which admittedly suggests they undervalue Xhekaj, but that also their overall approach is working.

Even so, in a world where the Canadiens re-signed an underwhelming Kirby Dach, albeit for a single season on a deal that will potentially walk the forward to unrestricted free agency next summer, Xhekaj represents another asset they’d be fools to discard without maximizing the value they get out of him, one way or another.

Debunking Xhekaj Trade Rumours

Could that be via trade? Anything’s possible, with rumours circulating (from ‘Trade rumours swirl around unsigned Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj,’ Montreal Gazette, July 24, 2026) to that effect. However, with his younger brother, Florian, having been drafted by the organization, which seemed to go off the board to do so, in the fourth round in 2024, it seems unlikely.

All that to say, for whatever it’s worth Arber should want to stay, with Florian projected to make the team at some point as a bottom-six forward. And the Canadiens seem to have invested a great deal in making this work so far and should still want Arber in the mix in some capacity. That capacity remains something of a mystery though, with their $1.3 million qualifying offer to the RFA representing his previous cap hit over this last two-year contract. So, it makes sense Xhekaj would hold out for more. How much more it ends up being is the question.

The Canadiens re-signed Struble, who finds himself in a similar boat as Xhekaj, trying to stay in the lineup and gain traction within the organization as a 25-year-old defenseman, to a two-year, $2.83 million deal last summer as an RFA. His $1,412,500 cap hit is probably the comparable the Habs are ultimately looking at, while, adjusting for inflation, $1.5 million is probably where the two sides eventually meet. The two-year term also seems like a fair compromise.

Whereas Dach filed for arbitration, Xhekaj had the right to but decided against it, further suggesting he’s relatively happy staying with the Canadiens. However, with Dach’s eventual one-year, $3.6 million extension potentially bringing him to unrestricted free agency, it’s easy to envision the Habs being comfortable keeping Xhekaj in the fold without eating up any of his free agency either, which would mean another two-year deal, just like his last, enabling both sides to go their separate ways upon its expiry, if that’s truly what’s in the cards. Xhekaj can explore alternative options, while the Habs can assess where they are with Reinbacher at that juncture.

True, it may not take that long for Reinbacher to establish himself as a mainstay, but, for now, it’s clear he’s got a way to go. While that’s technically true of Xhekaj too, at least in the Canadiens’ eyes, based on how they’ve deployed him in the past, they also technically needed Xhekaj to get out of Round 1 this spring. Remember that. The Habs should too in negotiations.