"Going to beat the crap out of him": Arber Xhekaj issues stern message to Senators' Brady Tkachuk

Arber Xhekaj and the Montreal Canadiens renew their rivalry against Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Montreal and Ottawa have had some history against each other this season. To add even more fuel to the fire, the 6'4", 240-pound Canadiens defenseman sent a strong message to the Senators captain ahead of Saturday night's game.

Xhekaj spoke with TVA Sports and called out Brady Tkachuk. In his article for the Ottawa Citizen, Senators columnist Bruce Garrioch shared the strong words the Canadiens defenseman had to say.

"I'm going to confront him," Xhekaj told TVA Sports. "I'm going to go straight to him. I'm going to beat the crap out of him. I don't care. I want to make his life miserable. I want his evening to be painful. What I give him must be stronger than what he gives."

Arber Xhekaj and Brady Tkachuk have a history that stems back to a game from the 2024 preseason. Xhekaj delivered a high hit on Senators star forward Tim Stutzle which drew the ire of Tkachuk who jumped the Habs defenseman.

Xhekaj received a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct and was also ejected from the game for the incident. Tim Stutzle suffered a cut on his nose and did not take further part in that game.

Brady Tkachuk is considered a game-time decision for Saturday's game, though you have to imagine he'll do everything he can to suit up after hearing Xhekaj's comments.

Arber Xhekaj and Brady Tkachuk are two of the toughest customers in hockey

Should Arber Xhekaj and Brady Tkachuk drop the gloves on Saturday night, it will be a heavyweight bout. Both players stand at 6'4", while Xhekaj has the 15-pound edge over Tkachuk. They've yet to officially fight one another at the NHL level (per Hockey Fights) however that could change on Saturday.

Xhekaj has fought five times during the 2024-25 season, while Tkachuk has only dropped the mits three times, though he also fought Sam Bennett in Team USA's heated clash over Team Canada during the round-robin portion of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

All eyes will be on these two players when the Canadiens and Senators face off on Saturday night in Ottawa. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at the Canadian Tire Centre.