Maxim Lapierre would trade Arber Xhekaj for Connor McDavid… and that’s it

How much is Arber Xhekaj worth? As a player who has spent a little time in Laval and who is not a leading defenseman in the organization, one might think that his value is not extremely high. However, Xhekaj has many supporters who would follow him to the grave, and Maxim Lapierre seems to be one of them.

During Wednesday’s taping of the La Poche Bleue podcast, Lapierre made a monster statement about a potential deal involving Arber Xhekaj.

In short, he’s absolutely not open to the idea of trading Xhekaj. His only exception? Connor McDavid, no less.

If the phone rings: “Is that (Connor) McDavid? No? Bye!” – Maxim Lapierre

To set the record straight, Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre went on to explain that they weren’t comparing Xhekaj to McDavid, but that it was a way of showing just how untouchable Xhekaj is for the Canadiens.

All this talk is because on Sunday, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period revealed that several teams had contacted Kent Hughes about a potential deal involving Arber Xhekaj. According to Pagnotta, Hughes has told the other general managers that he doesn’t want to trade his defenseman.

Lapierre’s main thought is that if several teams are interested in Xhekaj, it’s because he’s worth something. And that’s true!

Lapierre also explained that he loves Xhekaj’s style because he’s a unique player who offers a set of assets rarely seen in the NHL. He loves his toughness, his skating, his first pass and the way he finds shooting lanes.

Not to mention the fact that he’s a crowd favorite, a valued teammate in the dressing room and an excellent fighter!

To say that Kent Hughes will never trade Xhekaj would be sheer folly, but it’s clear that he possesses interesting value. After an up-and-down season, other teams may have taken the opportunity to try and snap him up at a lower-than-expected price.

However, Xhekaj will need to have a better season in 2024-25 if he is to continue to retain the confidence of Kent Hughes.

You can listen to the entire podcast here.

In bursts

– Another point for Slafkovsky.