Barron, Xhekaj excited for future as part of Habs defensive brigade

MONTREAL – Justin Barron and Arber Xhekaj are set to stay in Montreal for two more seasons.

The defensemen signed nearly identical contracts on Tuesday and spoke to the media via Zoom shortly after the announcements.

Here are some highlights from their respective media availabilities:

Please note that questions and answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.

Xhekaj on his goals for next season:

I think next year is a big year for me. We have a lot of young guys, and a couple of us are going on to our third year, so we kind of have to take that leadership role next year. Also, just solidifying my defensive game and making sure night in and night out that I’m a great defender for the team. Lastly, staying healthy for the whole season––that’s a big one.

Xhekaj on rehabbing his 2023-24 season-ending shoulder surgery:

This summer has been excellent for me. I haven’t taken any steps back. The recovery has been great. Our rehab team here has been doing amazing, and when I was in Montreal, they were doing an amazing job with me too. The surgery went well. Everyone was really happy with it, and I’m pretty much almost fully ready to go right now. [...] I feel strong, I’m moving good weight in the gym, and I’ll be back for training camp with no worries.

Xhekaj on how close he feels the team is to making the playoffs:

That’s what we want and we’re building something special here. I think the way we finished the season where we were really close to pretty much every team, I think we have to get over that hump. We can’t lose those games in overtime; we can’t lose those games in shootouts. I think that’s our goal this year, to figure that out. We’re a very close team inside the room and we love to play for each other. We’re on the right path here and we’re trying really hard to get where we need to go, so I think we’re all excited. From Game 1 to Game 82, our goal is nothing less than to make the playoffs.

Barron on his mindset coming into this year’s training camp:

For this year, it's been focusing on having a good summer, coming in and establishing my spot as a full time NHL player. I'm coming in at the start of camp with the mindset to make the team and being in the starting lineup.

Barron on the competition on the blue line heading into training camp:

We have a ton of young guys, and the future certainly looks bright. I think it’s just going to be healthy competition. I know all of them now, they're all great guys. I'm looking forward to getting into camp and competing against them. With that being said, I feel confident in my game and my ability, and I'm trying to come out of that camp with a spot on the roster.