Canadiens’ Cole Caufield defends Arber Xhekaj amid intense controversy
The Montreal Canadiens lost Patrik Laine to a knee injury on Saturday. Laine collided with an opponent against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Immediately, Arber Xhekaj confronted the player who collided with Laine. It’s actions like this that have his Canadiens teammates, including Cole Caufield, coming to his defense.
Xhekaj is in the news for more recent actions than that, though. The Canadiens defenseman delivered a hit to Ottawa Senators star Tim Stutzle on Tuesday. Xhekaj immediately dropped the gloves with Brady Tkachuk, and Stutzle left the game with an upper-body injury. This certainly has garnered some backlash, but Caufield is coming to the defense of his teammate.
“Obviously, there’s no intent to injure, there’s no intent to hurt anybody, but he’s a protector,” said Caufield of Xhekaj, via Sportsnet. “He’s a guy that you want on your team, that everybody respects, and I know he’s respected around the league. He’s physical, and he brings a lot of other things too. There’s right and wrong ways to go about it, but at the end of the day he’s fighting for one of us and he’s always ready to go to war for whatever happens.”
Canadiens have utmost respect for Arber Xhekaj
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Arber Xhekaj does not bring the same star power Cole Caufield brings. However, his role on the Canadiens is an important one all the same. The Montreal rearguard plays a physical game and is the player who steps up when opposing players cross a line.
There are some drawbacks to this. For instance, Xhekaj has allowed his emotions to dictate his actions in the past. He is only 23 years old, so it isn’t entirely unexpected. Still, Montreal believes with better management of his emotions, he could blossom into a true difference-maker for this team.
The Canadiens are trying to build more than a hockey team. To this end, Xhekaj’s willingness to stand up for his teammates is welcomed with open arms. Head coach Martin St. Louis believes stronger bonds between teammates is vital for on-ice success.
“I think I talked about it the other day when I said there’s a difference between a house and a home,” said St. Louis, via Sportsnet. “Our bond is showing at practice, it’s showing in the plane, it’s showing at the hotel, it’s showing in the room, it’s showing in games. It’s everywhere, and it’s apparent in different forms.”
The Canadiens begin their 2024-25 season on October 9. Montreal plays host to their Atlantic Division rival Toronto Maple Leafs that night. Let’s see if the Canadiens can get off on the right foot this season as they look to make progress on the ice.
The post Canadiens’ Cole Caufield defends Arber Xhekaj amid intense controversy appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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