Rumor has it that the Montreal Canadiens are looking to upgrade their forward group, and that bruising defender Arber Xhekaj could be a piece headed the other way in a potential trade. The Edmonton Oilers, following the departure of Darnell Nurse, may need to add defensive depth and size in preparation for what they hope will be another deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Xhekaj definitely brings a lot of the same truculence and grit that Nurse did, maybe even more in some ways, but he is not as complete a player. What should the Oilers be willing to give up in such a deal, and is Xhekaj really a good fit in Edmonton?
Depth and playoff success
Contending teams do need depth across their lineup as they attempt to become champions. The loss of Zach Hyman in the Western Conference Final played a significant role in the Oilers' second straight Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers, as did the injury that significantly limited Mattias Ekholm's play. Xhekaj, at 25 years old, could potentially step into more significant minutes if a top four defenseman gets hurt.
He is not an elite defender, as shown by his consistently negative advanced metrics. He'd need the right defensive partner, like perhaps a player who is very solid in his own zone like the recently extended Connor Murphy. But with multiple teams apparently lining up to make the Canadiens offers in the hope of acquiring Xhekaj, the question of cost versus value is definitely going to be front and center. While Xhekaj's previous NHL contract was a quite reasonable $1.3 million per season, he surely wants a raise. Some other NHL GM may be willing to be for the "intangibles" that Xhekaj brings to the ice, and as a role player whose average time on ice has decreased in each successive NHL season he has played, the risk may simply be too great.
Oilers GM Stan Bowman will surely be looking to his pro scouting team to determine if Xhekaj might be a good fit. Personally, I believe he can play a limited depth role on a very good team, but is unlikely to develop into much more than the player we see today. With the Canadiens highly unlikely to sign and then retain salary following a trade, I expect that the Oilers will look elsewhere for defensive depth.
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