Arber Xhekaj traded by the Montreal Canadiens: the defenseman answers in unexpected way

Arber Xhekaj didn't wait for training camp to talk to Habs fans. Saturday, he will show up in person, at a meet and greet in Joliette, Quebec, right as trade rumors keep swirling around him.

The timing says a lot. Teams don't usually let players headline a public event days before the season if a trade is close to done.

Xhekaj carried a cap hit of 1,300,000 dollars, one of the more team-friendly deals on the Canadiens roster. He posted 4 points over 65 games last season, with a minus-8 rating.

But the story shifted in the playoffs. Over 13 postseason games, Xhekaj put up 2 points and turned in a plus-5 rating, a real jump in two-way play when it mattered most.

His last 10 games as a Canadien show 1 point and a plus-3 rating, hardly the profile of a guy the front office is trying to quietly dump.

Trading away a physical, well-liked defenseman on a bargain contract right before camp opens would be a bad idea for Montreal, but the rumors will stay alive until he signs.

Think about it like benching your best penalty killer during a must-win third period. You don't remove a piece that's finally clicking just because outside noise says you should.

Lane Hutson and Chris Nilan join Xhekaj for the fan event

Xhekaj will not be alone out there. Lane Hutson, who put up 78 points last season, and Habs legend Chris Nilan will stand alongside him for the meet and greet.

Head coach Martin St-Louis and GM Kent Hughes have said nothing publicly through this file about Xhekaj's future. The silence from the front office is doing more talking than any denial would.

Xhekaj chose to face the fans directly instead of hiding from the noise. Whether that message lands with Habs management before the roster gets finalized is the part nobody can answer yet.