The Nashville Predators want Arber Xhekaj, and Thursday's trade buzz has them talking directly with the Canadiens to make it happen.
Jeff Marek revealed the interest on DFO Insider. Nashville's list goes beyond one name, with Jayden Struble and Adam Engström also in the mix.
Montreal's problem is simple math. Too many left-shot defensemen, not enough sweaters on a given night.
Kent Hughes has been staring at that crowded left side for a while now. Kaiden Guhle remains out of the lineup, which buys the GM some time without fixing anything.
Guhle is signed through 2030-31 at a $5,550,000 cap hit. When he's back, somebody on that left side loses a seat.
The cheap options are obvious. Xhekaj carries a $1,500,000 cap hit, while Struble sits at $1,412,500.
Both dressed Tuesday night in Toronto, a 3-2 win that opened the Canadiens' season. Neither registered a point.
Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly enter the Canadiens conversation
Nashville has nine defensemen on its roster, and nobody has grabbed a job. Barry Trotz needs somebody to stabilize the blue line.
The Predators open their season tonight at home against Minnesota. Their last game, on Sept. 26, ended in a 6-0 loss to Carolina.
So what would Montreal ask for? Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly are the names floating around as potential pieces.
Forsberg scored 40 goals and 75 points over 82 games last season. The finishing touch is still very real.
But the Swede is 32 and carries an $8,500,000 cap hit through 2029-30. That's a heavy anchor for a team built around a young core.
Taking on that contract to move a depth defenseman would be a bad trade for Montreal. Hughes didn't spend since 2022 cleaning up this cap sheet just to clog it again.
O'Reilly makes more sense on paper. He posted 74 points and a +8 rating last season, with a $4,500,000 cap hit that expires after 2026-27.
He's also 35. Trading for him is like signing a short lease on a great apartment. You enjoy it, but you're already planning the move.
Then there's David Reinbacher. He was sent down to Laval despite an excellent camp, a decision that still has people talking in Montreal.
Would Hughes actually put Reinbacher on the table? Clearing bodies off the blue line is supposed to open a path for him, not a door out of town.
David Pagnotta reports other teams are circling the same defensemen. The phone in the Canadiens front office won't be quiet.
The Canadiens visit Pittsburgh on Saturday, then host Nashville on Oct. 8. Their first meeting of the season could double as a live scouting session.
The trade deadline isn't until March 1. But nine defensemen in Nashville and a logjam in Montreal don't usually sit still that long.
Somebody in that Canadiens locker room is going to be packing a bag. The real question is whether Guhle's return forces the call before Hughes gets the price he wants.
Should Kent Hughes trade Arber Xhekaj to Nashville if Ryan O'Reilly comes back in the deal?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Humiliating scene unfolds in Philadelphia before the end vs. Pittsburgh, leaving fans stunned
