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Canadiens Call Up Xhekaj as Team Faces Injury Challenges
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- Canadiens Call Up Xhekaj as Team Faces Injury Challenges
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens have decided to turn to the AHL for reinforcements, recalling centre Florian Xhekaj from the Laval Rocket.
Consequently, they have also re-assigned forward Joshua Roy to the Rocket.
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It's a somewhat surprising decision given that Xhekaj is not off to the best start to the season, having scored two goals and two assists in 16 games, including just one goal and one assist in the last 10 games.
On the flip side of the coin, the centre options are quite limited, especially if Jake Evans is to miss any significant time. Evans was forced to leave Thursday's game after being run by Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson . There was no penalty on the play, and the Capitals scored a goal moments later.
Without Evans in the mix, the Canadiens can only rely on a few centres, far from an ideal situation.
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Martin St-Louis can call on Nick Suzuki , who is already overburdened with responsibilities, rookie Oliver Kapanen , and an offensively-limited Joe Veleno .
Montreal Canadiens Recall Options
As for the options on the farm, Laurent Dauphin is leading the Rocket in scoring, with nine goals and eight assists, but he is signed to an AHL contract only, which means there's almost no chance we'll see him in Montreal in the near future.
Jared Davidson, who was serving as a winger at the time of his recall, is already in the NHL, leaving Owen Beck as the only other option down the middle of the ice who is signed to an NHL contract.
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Statistically speaking, I'd argue that Beck is much closer to being NHL ready than Xhekaj, but there's also the matter of insuring some semblance of stability in Laval. The Rocket are currently first in the Atlantic Division , despite having already lost a few of their top players to the NHL, including Davidson and Roy.
The priority must always be given to the NHL team, but there's value in ensuring the farm team has enough talent at their disposal to survive being pilfered by the parent club.
Additionally, you can be certain that Xhekaj will provide an honest effort every shift, while also adding an important element of truculence to the mix.
As for the next step, there's a decent chance the Montreal Canadiens will come to terms with St. Louis Blues forward Alex Texier, should the player and club agree to a mutual contract termination, but for the time being, Hughes and Co. have no choice but to turn to the AHL for reinforcements.
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