Report exposes how Maple Leafs were turned down by rising star defenseman
It’s been an ongoing thing for years now : the Toronto Maple Leafs have been seeking help and the best talent available to boost their blue line. However, the Maple Leafs fell short when it came to getting a rising star defenseman to join the organization. In a recent interview, Arber Xhekaj was approached by Toronto before the defender eventually chose the Montreal Canadiens. Last week, Xhekaj was a guest on the Spittin Chiclets podcast and discussed how he chose the Habs as his destination to go as a free agent after he wasn’t drafted.
“After the draft [in 2021], didn’t get picked again. I think Toronto called me, Florida called me, and then that was it. So me and my agent were talking and we were checking the prospect pool, we were like, ‘Okay, let’s go to Florida, let’s go to Florida,’” Xhekaj said.
“And then, after that, I was like, ‘Wait, just give it a second, like, wait a few days.’ And [my agent] was like, ‘No, we can’t keep the NHL teams waiting.’ And I was like, ‘Just give it a second, something’s coming,’ because I knew Montreal was super interested. And that’s my favourite team, that’s where I wanted to go.
“They ended up calling me and saying, like, ‘Trust me, come to our camp, you do well, good things are going to happen.’”
The Montreal crowd loves Xhekaj, who put up three goals and 10 points in 44 games last season, his second with the Canadiens. He also ended the campaign with a +6 rating.
Xhekaj has shown special enthusiasm when facing the Maple Leafs, getting into scraps and pushing the rivalry to another level, and I feel that his decision to choose Montreal over Toronto has something to do with it.
