The Canadiens Already Answered the Xhekaj Question
The Flyers-Xhekaj rumor isn't news. It's a symptom. Montreal's qualifying offer, its depth chart, and a career low in ice time already told you where this is going.
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Montreal Canadiens
The most storied franchise in hockey. Every article, every update, every game breakdown — right here.
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Canadiens by the numbers
2026-27 regular season · source NHL, data as of 2026-10-23. Goals per game exclude shootout deciders. Standings · All 32 teams
- 4-3-2Record
- 10Points
- 22ndNHL rank
- 3.11GF / GP
- 3.78GA / GP
- 13.8PP%
- 78.4PK%
- 52.5FO%
Possession · 5-on-5
Computed by Play-Pause Hockey from the league play-by-play, 2026-27, 165 regular-season games. Where a rank is shown it is among the 32 clubs, 1st = best. PDO and zone starts carry none: a high PDO means hot rather than good, and zone starts are how a club is deployed rather than how well it plays. All 32 teams
- 56.4CF%4th of 32 · Share of shot attempts
- 55.9FF%4th of 32 · Unblocked attempts
- 97.4PDOShooting % + save %, 100 is neutral
- 56.4OZS%Share of zone faceoffs in the attacking end
Skaters
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nick Suzuki | 9 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
 Lane Hutson | 9 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
 Cole Caufield | 9 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
 Juraj Slafkovský | 9 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
 Josh Anderson | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
 Zachary Bolduc | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
 Alex Newhook | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
 Alexandre Carrier | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
 Chris Kreider | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
 Alexandre Texier | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 Ivan Demidov | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Noah Dobson | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Phillip Danault | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Kaiden Guhle | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Kirby Dach | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Mike Matheson | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Adam Engstrom | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Arber Xhekaj | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 David Reinbacher | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Florian Xhekaj | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Jake Evans | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Oliver Kapanen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Owen Beck | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goalies
| Goalie | GP | W | L | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jacob Fowler | 4 | 3 | 1 | .900 | 2.16 |
 Jakub Dobes | 5 | 1 | 2 | .847 | 4.47 |
Canadiens on NHL EDGE
Puck and player tracking, 2026-27 regular season · source NHL EDGE. Ranks are among the 32 clubs, 1st = best; defensive-zone time ranks the least time first. All 32 teams
- 23.1mphTop skating speed16th of 32league avg 23.2
- 4Shots over 90 mph20th of 32league avg not published
- 266Bursts over 20 mph9th of 32league avg 238
- 412.5miDistance skated27th of 32league avg 470.4
- 94.0mphTop shot speed22nd of 32league avg 95.4
- 267Shots on goal18th of 32league avg 282
- 10.5%Shooting %18th of 32league avg 11.3
- 42.7%Offensive-zone time7th of 32league avg 41.0
- 39.9%Defensive-zone time9th of 32league avg 41.0
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All Canadiens Coverage
Montreal Can Win the Marchenko Bid on Paper. Not for Real.
Columbus said no because it no longer needs to sell. The real problem for Kent Hughes isn't finding a winger, it's that his best chips can't close a deal against a team that finally believes in itself.
Demidov's $73M Extension Is the Anti-Carlsson
Everyone stared at the $73 million. The number that actually matters is 8, as in the percentage of the cap Demidov's deal will take. Montreal bought the same player Anaheim is paying twice as much for, a year before it had to.
Montreal's Dobes Bargain Comes With a Crease Problem
The Dobes extension is a bargain, and the underlying numbers back it. But the same signing that secures Montreal's crease also crowds it, and the bill for a three-goalie, two-spot problem comes due long before 2029-30.
Trading Gallagher Is the Quiet Day Montreal's Rebuild Actually Ended
Montreal didn't trade Brendan Gallagher to win the deal. They paid to facilitate a goodbye. The real story is what his exit marks: the last veteran link to the pre-rebuild Canadiens is gone.
The Canadiens Don't Need a Star on Defense. They Need Hutson's Stabilizer.
Montreal's blue line doesn't need more offense or a marquee name. It needs one specific kind of defenseman next to Lane Hutson. Get that wrong and the season gets shorter.