Jayden Struble Replaces Xhekaj, Posts Plus-2 in Game 1
jayden struble replaced Arber Xhekaj in the Montreal Canadiens lineup for Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes, then logged 14:10 of ice time and finished plus-2. The move put a different look on Montreal’s sixth-defenceman spot after Xhekaj had played just 1:52 in Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres.
Struble Takes The Sixth Spot
Struble did not play in any of the seven games against Buffalo, but he was back in the lineup for the opener against Carolina and handled a heavier role than his recent ice time suggested. His 14:10 was a sharp jump from the 5:06 he had played in Game 7 against the Tampa Lightning the last time he was on the ice.
That was the clearest sign of how Martin St. Louis was sorting out his back end. The coach said he rotates his top five defencemen and picks his spots with the sixth defenceman, and he added that the team “rolls five a lot” while Xhekaj or Struble are giving Montreal “really good minutes.”
St. Louis Chooses Reliability
St. Louis also said he has more confidence in Struble’s defensive game. That preference mattered in a playoff lineup where the Canadiens were balancing role fit, shift-by-shift usage and the need to keep their defensive structure steady.
Xhekaj’s path back is straightforward in St. Louis’s words: “It is about stacking up his actions throughout his shifts.” He also said, “Whether it was a good shift or a bad shift, it is about what is next. You cannot fluctuate mentally because of either side of that — just stay the course and focus on the next action. I think when he does that, he is great. If he keeps simplicity in his game and defends hard, he is great.”
Montreal’s Playoff Rotation
The Canadiens have already shown they are willing to manage the last spot on the blue line game by game, and Game 1 made that choice visible again. Kaiden Guhle’s playoff production has given Montreal another steady option, with seven assists and a plus-2 rating through 15 playoff games while averaging 20:53 of ice time per game.
For Struble, the assignment was simple and immediate: take the opening-night job, defend cleanly and hold the spot long enough to matter. For Xhekaj, the message was just as direct — simplify his game and stack shifts that make the next decision harder to change.
