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Arber Xhekaj

#72 · Defence · Montréal Canadiens

Born Jan 30, 2001 in Hamilton, Ontario, CAN (age 25) · 6'4", 240 lb · Shoots left

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2025-26. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Haydn Fleury WPG · 4 P in 38 GP Adam Boqvist NYI · 4 P in 28 GP Colton White NJD · 4 P in 23 GP Tobias Bjornfot FLA · 4 P in 19 GP Theo Lindstein STL · 4 P in 17 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

05102022-23: 13 points1322-232023-24: 10 points1023-242024-25: 6 points624-252025-26: 4 points425-262026-27: 0 points026-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2022-23 MTL 51 5 8 13 -9 101 75 159 0.25 $828K
2023-24 MTL 44 3 7 10 6 81 61 125 0.23 $828K
2024-25 MTL 70 1 5 6 -13 118 69 180 0.09 $1.3M
2025-26 MTL 65 1 3 4 -8 116 40 178 0.06 $1.3M
2026-27 MTL 5 0 0 0 0 12 2 7 0.00 $1.5M
5 seasons Career 235 10 23 33 -24 428 247 649 0.14

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2024-25 MTL 3 0 0 0 1 4 2 12 0.00
2025-26 MTL 13 1 1 2 5 28 8 45 0.15
2 seasons Playoffs 16 1 1 2 6 32 10 57 0.13

2025-26 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
65 1 3 4 -8 116 40 178 0.06 2.5 11:25

Contract

$1.3MCap hitends in 2026, then RFA
$325KCap dollars per point4 points in 65 games
-$2.6MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$3.9MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. He rated at or below a spare-part player, so there is no cost per goal to show. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 715 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Montreal Canadiens on Jul 30, 2024, as a new contract: 2 years and $2.6M, beginning in 2024-25. It runs through 2025-26, so this is its last season, after which he is a restricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2024-25 $1.3M $1.3M $0 $1.3M
2025-26 $1.3M $1.3M $0 $1.3M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Sep 15, 2026 Montréal Canadiens New contract 2026-27 to 2026-27 1 $1.5M $1.5M
Jul 30, 2024 Montreal Canadiens New contract 2024-25 to 2025-26 2 $2.6M $1.3M
Oct 4, 2021 Montreal Canadiens Entry-level 2021-22 to 2023-24 3 $2.485M $828K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2025-26 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2025-26 playoff analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+0.2Goals above replacementsix goals are worth about one win
+0.0Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-0.2Goals above averagethe five parts below added up
Even-strength offence+0.3Even-strength defence+0.4Power play0.0Penalty kill+0.0Penalties-0.8

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on.

-4-3-2-1012022-232023-242024-252025-262026-27Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

53.8Corsi for %99 attempts for, 85 against
+9.2CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
53.7Expected goals for %4.4 expected for, 3.8 against
+6.6xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
50.4Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
77.8Goals for %7 for, 2 against
110.9PDO15.9% shooting + 95.0% saves
20Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

These are left plain: he has not been on the ice enough to be ranked. That takes at least 200 shot attempts with him out there, about six or seven games, and a quarter of what the busiest skater has. Over a game or two these numbers are mostly chance.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Jayden Struble · Arber Xhekaj649:1460.664.34-0
Kaiden Guhle · Arber Xhekaj1129:3544.031.72-2
Arber Xhekaj · Lane Hutson109:3740.963.60-0
Alexandre Carrier · Arber Xhekaj76:1550.022.70-0

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net.

1Goalsnot counting empty-netters
0.6Expected goalsfrom 15 unblocked attempts
+0.4Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.33 expected goals per 60 minutes86th
Shot quality 3.9% chance per attempt67th
Finishing +0.4 goals above expected69thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 51 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.

00.20.40.60.81Goals 1Expected 0.6

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took in these playoffs, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 14, 2026 @ PHI L 2-4 0 1 1 -1 0 2 5 19:46
Apr 12, 2026 @ NYI W 4-1 0 0 0 1 4 0 4 12:41
Apr 11, 2026 vs CBJ L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 19:44
Apr 9, 2026 vs TBL W 2-1 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 08:45
Apr 7, 2026 vs FLA W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 0 1 2 11:36
Apr 5, 2026 vs NJD L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 11:58
Apr 4, 2026 @ NJD W 4-3 (SO) 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 10:00
Apr 2, 2026 @ NYR W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 09:45
Mar 31, 2026 @ TBL W 4-1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 12:57
Mar 29, 2026 @ CAR W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 05:11
Mar 15, 2026 vs ANA L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 10:08
Mar 10, 2026 vs TOR W 3-1 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 10:59
Mar 7, 2026 @ LAK W 4-3 0 0 0 2 2 0 3 09:10
Mar 6, 2026 @ ANA L 5-6 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 3 11:06
Feb 26, 2026 vs NYI L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 11:58
Feb 2, 2026 @ MIN L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 05:51
Jan 31, 2026 @ BUF W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 07:09
Jan 29, 2026 vs COL W 7-3 0 0 0 -1 2 0 4 13:38
Jan 27, 2026 vs VGK W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 08:16
Jan 24, 2026 @ BOS L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 09:19
Jan 17, 2026 @ OTT W 6-5 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 07:40
Jan 15, 2026 @ BUF L 3-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 10:29
Jan 13, 2026 @ WSH L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 07:03
Jan 12, 2026 vs VAN W 6-3 0 0 0 -3 0 1 6 14:54
Jan 10, 2026 vs DET L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 12:34
Jan 8, 2026 vs FLA W 6-2 0 0 0 2 12 0 6 08:37
Jan 7, 2026 vs CGY W 4-1 0 0 0 1 2 2 6 16:01
Jan 4, 2026 @ DAL W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 09:14
Jan 3, 2026 @ STL L 0-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 2 07:53
Jan 1, 2026 @ CAR W 7-5 0 0 0 1 2 0 6 13:54
Dec 30, 2025 @ FLA W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 09:39
Dec 28, 2025 @ TBL L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 5 0 3 07:15
Dec 23, 2025 @ BOS W 6-2 0 0 0 0 5 2 2 07:42
Dec 21, 2025 @ PIT L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 11:05
Dec 20, 2025 vs PIT W 4-0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 13:19
Dec 18, 2025 vs CHI W 4-1 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 16:17
Dec 16, 2025 vs PHI L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 15:21
Dec 13, 2025 @ NYR L 4-5 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 1 3 10:13
Dec 9, 2025 vs TBL L 1-6 0 0 0 0 4 1 5 16:01
Dec 7, 2025 vs STL L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 10:46
Dec 6, 2025 @ TOR W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 11:49
Dec 3, 2025 vs WPG W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 5 1 3 13:41
Dec 2, 2025 vs OTT L 2-5 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 12:48
Nov 29, 2025 @ COL L 2-7 0 0 0 -2 0 0 9 13:46
Nov 28, 2025 @ VGK W 4-1 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 11:15
Nov 22, 2025 vs TOR W 5-2 0 0 0 1 10 0 4 15:10
Nov 20, 2025 vs WSH L 4-8 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 13:28
Nov 17, 2025 @ CBJ L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 09:50
Nov 15, 2025 vs BOS L 2-3 0 0 0 0 5 1 2 10:04
Nov 13, 2025 vs DAL L 0-7 0 0 0 -1 5 1 4 15:18
Nov 11, 2025 vs LAK L 1-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 13:09
Nov 8, 2025 vs UTA W 6-2 0 0 0 2 0 2 4 14:00
Nov 6, 2025 @ NJD L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 10:54
Nov 4, 2025 vs PHI L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 5 0 1 10:38
Nov 1, 2025 vs OTT W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 14:32
Oct 28, 2025 @ SEA W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 11:29
Oct 25, 2025 @ VAN W 4-3 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 06:37
Oct 23, 2025 @ EDM L 5-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 08:49
Oct 22, 2025 @ CGY W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12:16
Oct 20, 2025 vs BUF W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 13:08
Oct 18, 2025 vs NYR L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 7 2 1 10:20
Oct 14, 2025 vs SEA W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 10:00
Oct 11, 2025 @ CHI W 3-2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 06:48
Oct 9, 2025 @ DET W 5-1 0 1 1 2 2 0 6 15:37
Oct 8, 2025 @ TOR L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 11:08