Canadiens announce defenceman Arber Xhekaj out for rest of the season

While the Montreal Canadiens' season may be over in exactly one week, they'll finish off their campaign without one of the team's fan favourites - Arber Xhekaj.

In a post on X on Tuesday morning, the Montreal Canadiens announced that defenceman Arber Xhekaj will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season and will undergo surgery on his left shoulder tomorrow.


This marks the second consecutive year that Arber Xhekaj's season has come to an end early due to a shoulder injury. In February 2023, Xhekaj underwent surgery on his right shoulder and missed the rest of the season..


It's unclear if this is an injury that Xhekaj has been dealing with all season, after he sustained an upper-body injury back in November following a fall on his left shoulder. He would eventually make his way back into the Canadiens' lineup following a stint in the American Hockey League with the Laval Rocket.

In 44 games, Xhekaj recorded ten points (three goals, seven assists), 81 penalty minutes and was a plus-six.