Arber Xhekaj has no problem with the way Martin St-Louis puts pressure on him.
Tuesday, a few hours before the game against the Calgary Flames at the Bell Centre, the defender was questioned about the attitude of the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens towards him.
“He’s not necessarily harder on me than on the other guys, but he knows my potential,” replied the 23-year-old defender. He wants to see the best version of me. I think he pushes me hard and I like it. We have a good relationship.”
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“I think it will help me in the long term. It’s a long season and I want to have a long career. He just wants to see the best in me and I respect that,” he added.
Since the start of this campaign, Xhekaj’s playing style and decisions have often been questioned. Last Saturday, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, St-Louis did not play much with its strong man. In fact, the Hamilton native only spent 11:56 on the ice.
“Right now, I’m trying to stay consistent,” Xhekaj said. I’m working on several things defensively, several small details that you can’t see from up there. But I see them when I look at the way I play.”
Satisfied coach
For its part, St-Louis said it was satisfied with Xhekaj’s progress, while using its own experience as a player to put itself in the shoes of its players.
“I was a young player who was in the stands and on a fourth line. It’s certain that I didn’t have the same confidence as when I was a player on the first two lines. You need to find your identity. There is pressure to play well and execute well to keep your seat.
“All teams use seven defenders,” he also said, adding that it was “internal competition” which mainly explained Xhekaj’s comings and goings in his formation.
“We want to better manage risks” -Martin St-Louis –
The back will be in the St-Louis lineup again for the duel against the Flames. He will still form the third pair with Jayden Struble, which means that Justin Barron will still have to pass his turn.
