Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj is out indefinitely after sustaining an upper-body injury in Sunday's victory over the Edmonton Oilers, the team announced.

Xhekaj left the contest after fighting with Vincent Desharnais and didn't return.

The Canadiens are already without Cole Caufield, Brendan Gallagher, Juraj Slafkovsky, Sean Monahan, Jake Evans, and Kaiden Guhle due to injuries.

Xhekaj has been a feel-good story for this season's rebuilding Habs. The undrafted rookie earned a roster spot out of camp and blossomed into a regular within Montreal's defensive corps. Xhekaj has registered 13 points, 159 hits, and 46 blocks in 51 games while averaging 15:16 per contest during his first NHL campaign.