According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Arber Xhekaj is nearing a contract extension to stay a Habitant.
That would be a habitant of the Montreal area, of course. LeBrun reports that the two sides are progressing and set to come to a deal before NHL training camp.
Jeff Gorton, in speaking to reporters, said he’s confident that Arber will be present for when Montreal takes the ice.
Earlier this offseason, it was reported that the Canadiens were weighing their options on a trade to potentially move Xhekaj, who played 65 games this past season, re-signing him would make him the fifth lefty defender in a group that has quite the cap tied down in that department, around $21MM of its $35MM being paid on the left, with the Hutson extension of $8.5MM AAV kicking in, as well as Noah Dobson and Alexandre Carrier being the lone righties.
Zachary Bolduc was also an RFA name that was in those rumors. Yet, not that long ago, the Canadiens extended the young forward to a 4-year contract.
Tack on the addition of Chris Kreider to the mix, a one-year $2.15MM deal, and that leaves around $4.3MM remaining in cap space for Montreal to work with their 25-year-old defender.
That being said, Xhekaj brings a playstyle that Montreal should covet and needs in their buildup to a Stanley Cup. He’s a physical player and excels consistently in his ability to deliver hard hits.
Despite this profiling, the Canadiens did not use his services to the full extent, averaging just 11:25 of ice time per game. That made him the least-used defenseman last season in Montreal, and he averaged just 8:05 per game during the team’s playoff run.
All in all, as previously reported by David Pagnotta, the Habs value Xhekaj. Montreal has built up back to a magical Eastern Conference Finals run, where, with all the young talent they have, it seemed a bit premature for a team that had lost a first-round series in 2025 to Washington and, before that, three straight playoff misses in the post-COVID NHL era.
The CBA turnover date on September 16 is nearing. After these changes, Players can’t sign for more than seven years with their team, and signing bonuses will be capped at 60% of the total value of the contract.
Pivotal shifts nonetheless, but this shouldn’t impact the situation too much with Montreal. Xhekaj’s next contract projection is a one-year extension at $1.4MM, according to AFP Analytics.
The Habs are coming off a successful 48-win, 106-point season, which resulted in an Eastern Conference Finals berth in 2025-26. Xhekaj was part of the NHL’s youngest and least experienced team.
Last year, the Habs had an average roster age of 25.82 and saw a total of 9,320 NHL games played as a group.