Since Saturday, Sept. 28, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj has been trending on social media. Unfortunately, it’s not for an end-to-end rush or a beautiful feed from the point that led to a goal.
Instead, the 23-year-old defender is popping up in searches for dishing out some questionable hits and a retaliatory assault which resulted in the first NHL fine of the 2024-25 season, costing him $3,385.42 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
In Montreal’s recent contest against the Ottawa Senators, Xhekaj crossed the line again, earning his second consecutive game ejection. Still, news came out on Wednesday that he will not face further discipline for his hit on Tom Stutzle.
Last year, the league suspended players for 118 games, with players forfeiting over $1.6 million in salary. Meanwhile, fines totaled $223,189.22.
Although no Montreal players were fined in 2023-24, two were suspended, and dating back to the 2022-23 season, the list expands to two fines and two additional suspensions. Let’s discuss those incidents.
Arber Xhekaj (Fine – $3,385.42)
Unsportsmanlike Conduct – Sept. 28, 2024
In the first period of a contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Canadiens, Cedric Pare collided knee-on-knee with Patrik Laine, forcing the Montreal right winger to LTIR for three months.
Later in the period, Xhekaj sought revenge for a questionable hit, getting ejected from the game after accumulating 27 penalty minutes. His attack on Pare resulted in a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Kaiden Guhle (Suspended One Game)
Slashing – Mar. 29, 2024 (Salary Lost $4,496.53)
In a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Mar. 28, 2024, the score didn’t indicate any rough stuff between the two teams since they combined for only 24 penalty minutes.
However, when Juraj Slafkovsky got tangled with Travis Koency in front of the Montreal bench, Kaiden Guhle got involved in the play by slashing the Flyers forward from the bench, resulting in a one-game suspension.
Brendan Gallagher (Suspended Five Games)
Illegal Check to the Head – Jan. 26, 2024 (Salary Lost $169,270.83)
The longest-tenured member of the Canadiens lineup, Brendan Gallagher, is also the last player to receive a five-game suspension for one of the most questionable hits of his career.
In a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders at the Bell Centre, Adam Pelech was carrying the puck up the ice when Gallagher skated through the neutral zone and delivered a high hit to the Islanders’ head, resulting in a five-game suspension.
Nick Suzuki (Fined $2,500)
Cross-checking – Mar. 17, 2023
It’s safe to say that during the 2022-23 season, there was a lot of bad blood between the Florida Panthers and the Canadiens. During a 9-5 win by the Panthers on Mar. 17, 2023, the visiting Canadiens imploded for 31 penalty minutes compared to Florida’s two.
After watching Guhle get involved with Anton Lundell in the corner, Nick Suzuki re-engaged with the Panthers forward in front of the benches, getting ejected for a cross-checking major, resulting in a $2,500 fine.
Mike Matheson (Fined $5,000)
Interference – Jan. 19, 2023
In another wild contest between the Panthers and Canadiens, this time at the Bell Centre, Mike Matheson paid a $2,500 fine for stopping mid-stride and laying a backward body check on an unsuspecting Eric Staal.
The visitors won 6-2, while Montreal racked up 53 penalty minutes, led by Xhekaj (15) and David Savard (12), and the Panthers collected 37.
Juraj Slafkovsky (Suspended Two Games)
Boarding – Nov. 8, 2022 (Salary Lost $10,270.28)
In a contest at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, 18-year-old rookie Slafkovsky earned his first career suspension for a hit from behind to Matt Luff. Montreal collected 35 penalty minutes on the night, with Slafkovsky accounting for 15 of them in a 3-2 shootout win.
After Luff tried to play the puck in front of Montreal’s bench, he fanned on it when Slafkovsky came to hit him from behind. The worst part of the play was how far away Luff was from the boards when he crashed into it.
Josh Anderson (Suspended Two Games)
Boarding – Nov. 5, 2022 (Salary Lost $59,459.46)
In Josh Anderson’s second season with the Canadiens, something snapped inside of him during a contest against the Vegas Golden Knights at the Bell Centre. With ten minutes left in the third period of the 6-4 defeat, he came flying out of the offensive zone on a mission to steamroll someone.
That person was Golden Knights defender Alex Pietrangelo, who was hit from behind in front of his bench. Of course, a scrum broke out amongst all the players on the ice, and Anderson received a two-game ban for the boarding call.
Bookmark THN’s Montreal Canadiens site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and more.
