We’re now four days into rookie camp, and much has been written already about Florian Xhekaj putting on 15 pounds of muscle during the offseason. On Saturday night, for the first time, we were able to see if he could carry that bigger frame in games, and the answer is a resounding yes.
Some players struggle to cope when they get heavier, but not Xhekaj. He has the strength to carry that weight, he didn’t lose any speed, and he’s an even more imposing presence. At one stage in the Montreal Canadiens’ first game of the Prospect Showdown, one of the Winnipeg Jets’ players was skating towards him, clearly looking to land a hit, but he ended up turning away, almost as if he realized who he was about to hit, and I expect it’s not the last time we’re going to see it this season.
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Even if it was only a rookie tournament game, it was a big test for Xhekaj to find himself on that top line with the two players who are arguably the most NHL-ready on the team. Pascal Vincent explained his decision to put him there in these terms:
We played him at center all year last year, and he had a lot of success. He scored 24 goals without ever really getting power-play time, and we want to expand his use and put him in different situations. With Kapanen and Demidov, we wanted a physical presence. We also wanted someone who could address the issue if someone looked at Demidov sideways. He didn’t need to do any of that, but he’s aware of that. We don’t need to talk about it, but to be able to play with those two and contribute offensively and defensively, rather than just being a physical force, taking faceoffs as he’s a righty. Kapanen’s a lefty; it was great to see those three together. If we had more time, we could develop something exciting, but we only have two games.
– Vincent on putting Xhekaj on the first line
If Xhekaj doesn’t make the Canadiens, there’s no doubt that he’ll be getting a more significant role with the Laval Rocket. That’s what last night was about: checking what he could do when put in a more offensive setting, and he showed that he has plenty of potential. He didn’t look like he was just Demidov’s bodyguard; he didn’t look out of place either. He looked like a hockey player who could compete alongside someone as talented as Demidov, and that’s huge for this organization.
It will be essential to ensure that he manages his expectations, though, after coming off such a great first professional season, he must not fall into the same trap that Owen Beck did, and set his sights too high, putting too much pressure on himself. The truth of the matter is that, in all likelihood, when he makes the NHL (it’s not accidental that I didn’t use the word if here), he won’t be playing on the top six, but he will be ideally suited to an energy line that’s also able to contribute to all aspects of the game.
The days in which a player could make a career out of being a goon are long gone, but that’s not a problem for Xhekaj because he’s so much more than a threatening physical presence. In a way, it’s funny to see the Canadiens have such a player in their ranks after being hurt so much by Tom Wilson in their series against the Washington Capitals last spring. Could Xhekaj end up being the Canadiens’ own Wilson? At this stage, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities, but there’s still plenty of work to be done if he wants to get there.
Pascal Vincent is very aware of the diamond in the rough he has in his hands, though, and you can see just how enthusiastic he is about working with the youngster. At this stage, it would be a big surprise to see Xhekaj crack the lineup in Montreal, but it doesn’t matter; he still has things to work on, and nobody’s ever been too prepared for the NHL.
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