Montreal Canadiens stud defenseman Arber Xhekaj reveals he nearly signed with a different NHL team
The Montreal Canadiens and former general manager Marc Bergevin struck gold with the signing of Arber Xhekaj in 2021.
The 6 foot 4 240 pound physical defenseman has an incredible story. Undrafted in the OHL twice over, he fought for a roster spot and eventually got one with the Kitchener Rangers at 18 years old. He was then passed over in the NHL draft three teams, and when he could not play in the OHL during the pandemic lockdowns, he went to work at Costco as a shelf-stocker and crowd controller.
In a new interview with Spittin' Chiclets, Arber Xhekaj revealed that at one point, his Costco manager sat him down and told him he'd have to choose between Costco and hockey, and that he would need to be realistic. He must be glad he chose hockey.
While he ultimately signed with the Montreal Canadiens after a strong OHL 20-year-old season, Arber Xhekaj was still considered a long shot to make the league. He overcame all odds, and with the Montreal Canadiens' rebuild in full swing, he was able to get a roster spot.
We now know, however, that he also had contract interest from the Toronto Maple Leafs, where it would have been much harder for him to push for the roster. While his family lives in Toronto, he grew up a Canadiens fan. Habs fans are certainly glad he chose to sign with the bleu-blanc-rouge rather than the Leafs!
Imagine Arber Xhekaj on the Toronto Maple Leafs!
| POLL | ||
AOÛT 25 | 160 ANSWERS Montreal Canadiens stud defenseman Arber Xhekaj reveals he nearly signed with a different NHL team Do you think Arber Xhekaj will ever be a top-four defenseman? | ||
| Yes | 49 | 30.6 % |
| No | 111 | 69.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Taylor Hall | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Brayden Point | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Brock Nelson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Bryan Rust | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Pavel Zacha | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Quinn Hughes | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Carter Verhaeghe | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Erik Karlsson | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Elias Lindholm | - | 3 | 3 | |
| David Pastrnak | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Tim Stutzle | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Adam Gaudette | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Dylan Holloway | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Brad Marchand | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Aleksander Barkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sam Bennett | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sean Couturier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex DeBrincat | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Drury | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 23 | 18 | 5 | - | 36 | |
Hurricanes | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 33 | |
Wild | 22 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 32 | |
Devils | 25 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 32 | |
Capitals | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 31 | |
Golden Knights | 23 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 31 | |
Maple Leafs | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Flames | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 28 | |
Panthers | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 27 | |
Kings | 23 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 27 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||