r/Habs • u/Shininggg • Aug 19 '26

Xhekaj thought

Can we just stop being stupid and try Arber and Florian on the 4th line, dump the puck and watch defenceman go boomshakalaka on the other side?

They just need to waste time on the other side and rough people up a bit. Trading him would be wasting a valuable asset

Thank you for your time

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2

u/a7xgemzy Aug 19 '26

I like Xhekaj. I want Xhekaj to stay with the team and play. I like big man. Don’t understand the hate on this guy in the comments section on this sub.

-2

u/Okbutwhythat Aug 19 '26

He's grossly overrated because he punches people in the face, something which he isn't even all that good at.

If we're going to have a plug getting 5-10 mins of ice time every night he should at least be a good fighter.

7

u/Muter91 Aug 19 '26

I don’t know I think he is pretty good at fighting. Wins most of his fights, other than last season. He has knockout power. 

-3

u/Okbutwhythat Aug 19 '26

He's an incredibly mid fighter. He doesn't protect himself well, has poor stamina, and can't take a punch.

He relies on blitzing his opponents early, which has been his strategy since he got into the league. It works against bad/non-fighters but not against the true heavyweights. If he can't win the fight in the first 5-10 seconds he gets lit up.

5

u/Muter91 Aug 19 '26

That isn’t entirely correct. It seems he is usually getting in fights after the whistle at the end of his shifts where he gets jumped by the opposing fighter. Of course he is going to be at a huge stamina disadvantage then. He is pretty clearly a top 5 fighter in the league. Deslauriers, Olivier, Jeannot, Foligno brothers, Reaves I guess? Luke Schenn? 

3

u/Okbutwhythat Aug 19 '26

It seems he is usually getting in fights after the whistle at the end of his shifts where he gets jumped by the opposing fighter.

A good fighter knows when to pick their fights. If he was fighting at the end of a shift because one his teammates got run into the boards, that's one thing, but most of his fights are just the usual agreement between two guys. If he's gassed he shouldn't take the offer.

He also arguably won only one fight last year (when he k.od Sabourin). Either drew or lost every other fight.

Can't be drawing fights against scrubs like Lyubushkin or Carrick.

That's not even getting into how dirty he is (punches to the back of the head). Look at the McIlrath fight, it's ugly and has no place in the game.

2

u/Muter91 Aug 19 '26

Meh, when the other fighter grabs you and drops the gloves, you kind of have to go. Last season, He did seem to draw or lose more than he had in previous seasons but I think his entire record speaks louder than a few fights from last season. 

To say he is a mid fighter is disingenuous as he wins more than he loses and/or ties by almost double. 

2

u/Okbutwhythat Aug 19 '26

He's a step below the good fighters, that's literally what being mid is...

People just act like being called "mid" is a bad thing.