Montreal Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj will undergo season-ending left shoulder surgery on Wednesday, the club announced Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Florian Xhekaj, Arber's younger brother, signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens later Tuesday.
Montreal also announced that centre Christian Dvorak will return from a 42-game absence.
The 23-year-old Arber Xhekaj has missed two games since sustaining the injury to his left shoulder in a 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last Thursday.
He will undergo shoulder surgery for a second straight season. A procedure on his right shoulder in February 2023 also cut his 2022-23 campaign short.
The Canadiens expect the rugged blueliner to recover in time for the start of next season.
The six-foot-four, 240-pound Xhekaj has split time this season between the Canadiens and the Laval Rocket, Montreal's American Hockey League affiliate.
The second-year pro had three goals, seven assists, and 81 penalty minutes in 44 games with the Habs. He added three goals, eight assists, and collected 34 penalty minutes in 17 games with Laval.
Florian Xhekaj, 19, was selected by the Canadiens in the fourth round (101st overall) of last year's NHL draft.
The six-foot-four, 190-pound forward will join the Rocket after spending the season with the Ontario Hockey League's Brantford Bulldogs, who fell 4-2 to the Ottawa 67's in a first-round playoff series Sunday.
He had 34 goals and 31 assists in 63 games this season for Brantford.
Dvorak makes his return with the Canadiens scheduled to host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.
The Canadiens announced in January that Dvorak would miss the remainder of the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Dvorak last played Dec. 30 in a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. The 28-year-old American has three goals and four assists in 25 games this season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2024.
The Canadian Press
