Nearly two and a half months after their last game, the Montreal Canadiens still haven’t touched their blue line. The same group that finished the season and faced Carolina remains intact: Mike Matheson, Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, Jayden Struble, Alexandre Carrier, and, for now, Arber Xhekaj as the seventh defenseman.
Xhekaj, notably, remains without a contract. That unresolved status has kept trade speculation simmering through the quiet stretch of the offseason.
Montreal does not lack offensive production from the back end. Lane Hutson just posted a 78-point season, the highest total among Canadiens defensemen. Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson can also chip in offense at a high level. What the group continues to lack is a more physical, defense-first presence on the right side—a need the organization has carried for some time.
If Xhekaj is moved, the internal name that keeps surfacing as a potential replacement is Adam Engstrom. One analysis circulating on the topic put it plainly: “Maybe Adam Engstrom will replace Arber Xhekaj on the roster if Xhekaj is traded, but we still wouldn’t be talking about a significant upgrade. The need to acquire a right-shot defenseman with BOTH defensive and physical qualities is still there.”
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That assessment lands. Engstrom is a talented 22-year-old Swede, but he has only 15 NHL games on his résumé. Promoting another young, inexperienced player does little to solve an immediate structural problem. The Canadiens’ defensive depth remains young overall. Even an exceptional training camp from David Reinbacher would amount to swapping one developing piece for another. It would not inject the physicality and defensive reliability the right side has long needed.
To meaningfully address the issue, Montreal would have to acquire an established right-shot defenseman capable of playing a strong game in his own zone. Until that happens, the same questions will follow the team through the fall.
Kent Hughes still has time. The general manager has not closed the door on further moves, and Xhekaj’s unsigned status keeps options open. But the blue line that takes the ice in training camp currently looks very much like the one that closed the previous season. Offense is present. Physical, defense-first stability on the right side is not.
As long as that gap remains, the conversation around Xhekaj’s future—and the broader question of whether the Canadiens have truly fixed their most persistent defensive shortcoming—will not go away.