The Montreal Canadiens are expected to re-sign a key player as the 2026-27 season nears. After a fairly slow start to the summer, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has finally started making moves. Montreal shocked many by signing veteran forward Chris Kreider to a one-year contract on September 12. The deal is a relatively low base salary of $2.15 million, but includes significant bonuses.
Just a day later, Hughes re-signed Zach Bolduc to a four-year, $16.8 million ($4.2 million AAV) deal. The young forward was one of two restricted free agents Montreal had to deal with this summer. The other, Arber Xhekaj, is currently without a deal. Despite this, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting that an agreement between the enforcer and the Canadiens is close.
“Talks are progressing and things are getting closer on a new deal between the Canadiens and RFA D Arber Xhekaj,” LeBrun posted on social media. “Not done yet, but the expectation is that he’ll be at camp and signed.”
Jeff Gorton, the president of hockey operations of the Montreal Canadiens, essentially confirmed the update on September 14. Gorton told media members he is “confident that Arber will be there and be part of our group” while at a golf event.
Xhekaj is not necessarily known for racking up points from the blue line. In fact, the defenseman has just 10 points in his last 135 NHL games. Instead, the enforcer dishes out big hits and is not afraid to drop the gloves. Xhekaj has 234 penalty minutes and 358 hits over the last two seasons. This is particularly impressive considering the blueliner is not given a ton of playing time.
Montreal Canadiens Previously Listened to Trade Offers for Arber Xhekaj
Arber Xhekaj staying with the Montreal Canadiens is not necessarily super surprising. After all, he is a useful player on the team, the fans love him, and he is not expensive. Nevertheless, the defenseman was linked with a move out of town practically all summer. Several NHL teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers, were interested in acquiring the enforcer during the offseason.
A potential deal with Philadelphia could have made sense for both teams. The Flyers obviously wanted to bring in Xhekaj’s toughness to a relatively young team. Montreal, on the other hand, may have been open to swapping the left-handed blueliner for righty Rasmus Ristolainen. The Canadiens currently have several lefty defensemen on the NHL roster, creating a potential logjam at the position.
Nevertheless, Xhekaj now looks set to stay with the Montreal Canadiens. After the Kreider and Bolduc moves, Hughes and Co. have about $4.2 million in projected cap space, according to PuckPedia.com. Montreal should still have a little extra money left over after agreeing to an extension with the enforcer.
Montreal Signs Head Coach to Multi-Year Extension
Along with confirming the Xhekaj update, Gorton also revealed that the Montreal Canadiens have signed head coach Martin St. Louis to a new four-year deal. St. Louis was set to enter his final year under contract before agreeing to an extension. The coach was previously a a finalist for the Jack Adams Award after the 2024-25 campaign.
Hughes confirmed that the Canadiens will not go with three goalies on their NHL roster as well. This likely means that, pending a trade, Jakub Dobes and Sam Montembeault are expected to be the two netminders in Montreal. Jacob Fowler, on the other hand, will likely begin the 2026-27 season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
Canadiens Close to Signing Star Despite Recent Trade Links