The xhekaj suspension has left Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble used so little in uniform that the Canadiens are effectively playing with five defensemen in the playoffs. After 82 regular-season games, Montreal’s workload is landing on the rest of the blue line.
Montreal’s Heavy Minutes
Lane Hutson is taking on 27:18 per game, Mike Matheson is at 25:19 per game, and Alexandre Carrier is already playing two to three more minutes per game than in the regular season. That is the practical cost of shrinking the rotation: the defense that should be spread across six regular contributors is being pushed onto a tighter group.
Noah Dobson nearly missed the entire first round against Tampa Bay, which only added to the pressure on Montreal’s back end. The Canadiens did not have the cushion of a normal playoff rotation, and the minutes kept stacking up on the same three defensemen.
St-Louis and the Blue Line
The issue is not a one-game quirk. Xhekaj has not earned enough trust from Martin St-Louis to play much in the playoffs, and Struble is being used so little that the distribution of defensive ice time has become badly uneven. Montreal’s most-used defenders are carrying a load that leaves little room to breathe.
That load stands out when placed beside recent Cup winners. Christian Djoos played 10:51 per game for Washington in 2018, Jack Johnson played 11:06 per game in 2022, and the least-used defensemen on recent champions were generally around 14 minutes per game at minimum. Vegas had Zach Whitecloud and Brayden McNabb nearly 19 minutes per game in spring 2023, while Ian Cole played 16 to 18 minutes per game for Pittsburgh during its 2016 and 2017 championships.
Canadiens Playoff Load
Montreal’s problem is simple to see now that the games matter most: if Xhekaj and Struble are barely used, the Canadiens are not really rolling six defensemen at all. The burden shifts to Hutson, Matheson and Carrier, and that is where the playoff cost shows up in ice time, not in theory.
For a team that already finished 82 regular-season games, the path forward is built on those top minutes holding up through the series. The rest of the blue line is not carrying the same share, and the numbers show exactly where the strain sits.
