Canadiens Analysis
NHL Fines Arber Xhekaj For Retaliating After Patrik Laine Injury
Montreal Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj’s wallet will be lighter on Monday, as the NHL has fined him for his actions following the knee-on-knee injury to Patrik Laine.
Xhekaj was fined a little less than $3400, the maximum allowable under the conditions agreed to by the NHL and NHLPA in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj has been fined $3,385.42, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for unsportsmanlike conduct on Toronto’s Cedric Pare.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) September 29, 2024
While there’s no doubt Canadiens fans, not to mention Canadiens players were glad to see a reaction from the team’s toughest player, you’d be hard-pressed to argue Xhekaj did not deserve supplemental punishment. Xhekaj was kicked out of the game in the first period after tracking down Cedric Pare and landing a series of punches on the 25-year-old minor leaguer who injured Laine. There were calls for a suspension, a legitimate potential outcome given the violence involved in the play, but once Xhekaj noticed Pare was not going to answer the bell, he managed to keep his gloves on, which may have factored into the Department of Player Safety’s (DoPS) decision.
The fact that he was kicked out in the early parts of the game may also have influenced the DoPS’ final ruling, but either way, it’s fair to say he was lucky to avoid a suspension. And it’s also fair to such an inconsequential fine is a joke when we consider what is at play in the NHL, and that the referees failed to do their job when they ignored the clear kneeing penalty, which is what led to ensuing chaos.
It’s far from the first time NHL referees create a dangerous environment by failing to recognize a clear penalty.
Arber Xhekaj unloads on Pare after he injured Laine. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/lq75y4fMmN
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 28, 2024
The Montreal Canadiens offered a brief update on Laine during the game, in which they announced he would not be returning to the ice. As it stands, he’s likely dealing with intense swelling around his knee, which may delay some of the testing necessary to confirm whether the injury did severe damage to his ACL or MCL, among other areas.
GOTTA SEE IT: Patrik Laine Injured, Arber Xhekaj Kicked Out Of Game
In the end, Xhekaj’s fine will not stop him from retaliating next time, and Pare’s relegation to the minor leagues will change very little. All that matters is the Montreal Canadiens lost an important player on an ugly play in a meaningless preseason game that featured the referees quickly losing control of the situation.
Marc,
I read your articles everyday and enjoy your commentary. It astounding to me that this keeps occurring especially to the Habs where the infraction is treated as run of the mill hockey play but the aftermath is treated as a capital offense. Perhaps they should start fining referees for allowing games to get out of hand. It looks like we’re gearing up for another year of 700+ man games lost yet again.
another frustrating year from the ashes of hope.
How can a penalty not be called is beyond me, Arber reacted more to the fact that the refs just let it go unpunished than the act itself. This league has a real creditability issue with unaccountability with the non calls in obvious situations that have lasting repercussions on injured players. I wonder if they would have reacted the same way if Matthews would have been chopped at the knee, our buddy Bettman would have been all over it.
It’s a joke that so far, no repercussions for Pare. Where’s his fine?!? What a joke!
Bush league play by a pylon who will never be an NHL player. Reinbacher’s injury should never have happened. I don’t care when he was drafted, he is clearly a year or more away from making the team, as evinced by his 4 giveaways in the 1st period the previous game, where he was also caught watching the play instead of Tavares when he scored.
I don’t get the usage in camp. Hutson, Mailloux and Reinbacher all get played with NHL regulars, with Hutson deservedly getting the most ice. Beck and Kapanen, instead of centering one of the top 2 lines in meaningless games, are playing with guaranteed AHLers. Instead of seeing how they elevate their game, they are playing them on what would be a 5th or 6th line.
MSL in charge of the pp? No wonder it involves 5 guys floating around passing endlessly from the perimeter.
We need a proper pp coach. He’s had his chance.
Get Recchi.
The should have fined him for stopping short of putting pare out for the season