Arber Xhekaj and the Montreal Canadiens are heading into training camp with a real contract problem still unresolved.
Xhekaj and forward Zachary Bolduc both remain unsigned restricted free agents with camp less than three weeks away.
Captain Nick Suzuki addressed it directly this week, calling both players "really important" and saying he's hopeful both deals get done.
Sept. 16 looms large here. That's when the new CBA kicks in, dropping max contract length from eight years to seven, and it's also when Montreal opens camp.
Xhekaj posted just 4 points in 65 games last season but led the team with 116 penalty minutes, all on a $1,300,000 cap hit.
He was a healthy scratch for 6 of Montreal's 19 playoff games, managing 2 points in the 13 he did play.
Bolduc put up 30 points in 78 games on an $863,334 cap hit, and unlike Xhekaj, he played in all 19 playoff games, adding 7 more points.
Why Xhekaj's roster spot depends on Hughes' next move
General manager Kent Hughes wants to add a top-six forward and an experienced right-shot defenseman before the season, and that complicates both situations.
If Hughes lands a right-shot defenseman from outside the organization, there simply isn't a clear lineup spot left for Xhekaj.
Hughes has already shown he's willing to be patient on moves like this, pointing to last summer's sign-and-trade for Noah Dobson, an $9,500,000 cap hit acquired via an eight-year deal.
He's also floated the idea of a trade landing in September or October, while insisting he won't make a "dumb trade" just to satisfy fans.
Owner Geoff Molson said this week he isn't worried these contracts get resolved, and Montreal's 106-point season gives him real reason for that confidence.
Still, letting two restricted free agents sit unsigned this close to a CBA deadline that changes contract math is a real risk for a team this good.
Camp opens in under three weeks, and how Hughes handles this will say plenty about the roster Montreal actually takes into the season.
Should the Canadiens trade Arber Xhekaj if a defenseman upgrade arrives?
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