Habs make a surprising move with Arber Xhekaj

About this time last year is when we all bore witness to the emergence of Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj at the team's 2022 training camp.

The former Costco shelf stocker turned NHL defenseman was a media darling and won fans over with his hard work ethic combined with an 'aw shucks' attitude. Xhekaj would go on to have a stellar rookie campaign with the Habs, putting up five goals and 13 points in 51 games in his first season of professional hockey.

Flash forward a year though and it's unclear what Xhekaj's role is on this team moving forward. Just yesterday the team demoted him to the AHL's Laval Rockets along with fellow defenders Gustav Lindstrom and Mattias Norlinder.

The Habs have not yet confirmed their plans for Xhekaj, but I'm willing to bet that this move is a temporary one. Once the season begins and Carey Price's $10.5 million contract can be placed on injured reserve then Xhekaj can be recalled and used on the team's NHL roster.

Check it out:

Stay tuned for official confirmation from the team.