Earlier on Monday, the Montreal Canadiens made the decision to loan defenceman Justin Barron to the AHL's Laval Rocket and place forward Mitchell Stephens on waivers, leaving themselves with two open roster spots.
The Canadiens announced in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that they've recalled defenceman Arber Xhekaj from the AHL's Laval Rocket.
Xhekaj, 22, was sent down to the Laval Rocket in early December after recovering from an upper-body injury and played quite well in the AHL. In 17 games, the Hamilton native put up 11 points (three goals, eight assists), 34 penalty minutes and is a plus-three.
The Canadiens may also be getting Tanner Pearson back on Tuesday as well, which would make the move to place Mitchell Stephens on waivers today understandable. Pearson has been out of the Canadiens lineup since early December with a hand injury and was given a four-to-six week recovery timeline.