While the Montreal Canadiens re-signed several of their players during the offseason, one question mark remained with regard to the status of restricted free agent defenseman Arber Xhekaj.
Those questions have officially been put to rest, as the club has announced that he’s been signed to a one-year contract extension for the upcoming 2026-27 NHL campaign.
The Montreal Canadiens Have Announced That RFA Defenseman Arber Xhekaj Has Been Re-Signed
According to the official social media account of the Canadiens, the club has re-signed Xhekaj to a one-year pact for the upcoming season.
“The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a one-year contract (2026-27) with defenseman Arber Xhekaj,” the Canadiens reported on X, formerly known as Twitter.
During the offseason, his agent Brian Bartlett made it clear in no uncertain terms that loves being in Montreal and wants to remain with the Habs.
“Arber loves Montreal; he loves playing in Montreal, loves the fans, the city, the atmosphere, the coaching staff, the development staff, Marty, Adam Nicolas, everybody,” Bartlett explained. “He’s become a better hockey player there, and it’s an amazing place to play. Our hope, I think, kind of collectively, Arber’s and ours is that we can find a way to make it work with Montreal here.”
He then discussed the potential timeline:
“The flip side of that coin is that Montreal has a lot of very good players, a lot of good players at defense, and it’s trying to work out how that logjam works itself out,” Bartlett continued. “What’s the best way to have the most productive team. I think we’ve all been through this enough that we understand the Montreal Canadiens are going to do what’s best for the Montreal Canadiens and Arber Xhekaj is going to do what’s best for Arber Xhekaj. There’s a very large world where those diagrams overlap, and we’re optimistic we end up in kind of that overlap where it’s good for Montreal and good for Arber, but we’ve still got a lot of time until training camp; there’s no panic.”
Arber Xhekaj Took An Unconventional Road To The NHL
Xhekaj went undrafted in the OHL before working his way from the GOJHL to the Kitchener Rangers. His physical style helped him gain attention from Montreal, which signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2021 after his performance at training camp. He later helped Hamilton win the OHL title and earned Memorial Cup All-Star honors.
Through 230 NHL games, Xhekaj has totaled 33 points on 10 goals and 23 assists. He has also accumulated 416 penalty minutes, including 116 across 65 games last season.
Canadiens Announce Fate Of RFA Defenseman Arber Xhekaj