Arber Xhekaj, defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens, has made several friends among fans of the team this season, largely due to his tenacity and fighting skills.

But the 21-year-old full-back was also able to assert himself offensively and defensively. He ranks first in goals (5) and second in points (13) and difference (-3) in the team.

Despite everything, he has seen his playing time drop drastically in recent games and Maxim Lapierre doesn’t understand why.

“There’s one little thing that annoys me, and it’s his ice age,” he admitted Tuesday La Poche Bleue at noon. We have a youngster who will be very important. Now I’m looking at the last four games and it’s 12, 10, 11 and 11 minutes of ice time… I really don’t understand.

“I want to see him on the ice for 20 minutes a game. He’s no worse than Joel Edmundson and not a defender in the squad at the moment. I don’t understand why he doesn’t get the opportunity to develop faster. We’re not going to make the playoffs this year, he’s a guy who plays well, yes, he makes mistakes like everyone else, but I think he has good ability with the puck, he has a good shot and he is physically.

“Let’s give him the chance to make mistakes, he’s still only 21.”

Watch the full intervention by Maxim Lapierre in the video above, who also talks about Jakob Pelletier, the situation at the Canucks and the culture at the Boston Bruins.