Crucial Season For Canadiens Prospect Reinbacher
The best word to describe Montreal Canadiens prospect David Reinbacher’s start to his professional career in North America is frustration.
(Editor’s Note: This is an article written by special contributor Tyler Major- McNicol. You can follow him on X by clicking here.)
The 2023 fifth overall selection has only skated in 78 American Hockey League games, with two games in Montreal sprinkled in, over parts of three seasons.
It should be noted his first 10 games in the AHL came with Laval Rocket following the conclusion of his Swiss League campaign, therefore the opportunities to play were limited.
However, when you take into consideration that a standard AHL season is 70 games, and 57 of his 78 AHL games were played during the 2025-26 season, the 21-year-old right-shot rearguard should be well on his way to establishing himself as a full-time NHL defencemen, but injuries have mitigated his development considerably.
The Next Step For Reinbacher
The 6’3″, 207lb, right-shot rearguard presents a very interesting frame. His fluid skating, solid defensive details, and ability to make a strong first pass or rush the puck through the neutral zone himself make him a nice bet to potentially develop into a top-four presence. His offensive ceiling remains a question mark, but his intelligence and calculated approach to when to activate and when to stay back and opt for a quick pass to spring his forwards all but show that his ceiling, at minimum, looks to be that of a bottom-pairing NHL defenceman.
And even though using a fifth overall selection to draft bottom-pairing blueliner doesn’t make much sense, his floor looks to be there.
However, if he manages to find his rhythm in a season that is not marred by injuries, he could very well develop into a useful defenceman who doesn’t bring the flash, but rather balances things out for a more offensive-minded, left-shot defender. While expectations for a top-five pick are to play at the top of the lineup, the acquisition of Noah Dobson ensures that Reinbacher can slot into the fourth chair on the Canadiens’ blue line.
In the NHL, depth is the name of the game, and this Stanley Cup-winning formula has proven to be one that shows how a collective effort from all six defencemen is crucial. The playoffs are a marathon, not a sprint, and along the way bumps and bruises are going to happen. Having a contingency plan in Reinbacher, should Dobson go succumb to the war of attrition, is quite a luxury.
Montreal Canadiens Roster Situation
Obviously at this point, Reinbacher’s goal is going to be to crack the Canadiens straight out of training camp, and it’s highly likely he will be given every opportunity to do so. The Canadiens right side features only Dobson and Alexandre Carrier as right-shot options.
In a pinch, all of Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj, and even Kaiden Guhle and Hutson have played on their off-sides, but the benefits of playing on their natural side cannot be stressed enough, which raises the importance of Reinbacher’s development, and hopeful ascension to the Canadiens blue line.
Right-shot defenders who can transport the puck efficiently from offence to defence don’t grow on trees, and are highly coveted across the NHL, so while Reinbacher is eyeing an NHL role in 2026-2027, Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes, and Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton, will equally be monitoring what Reinbacher looks like through camp, and the preseason schedule.
The outlook is clear, but the path that has been anything but linear, will hopefully pay off with a resilient climb into the Canadiens defensive picture for the Austrian native.
David Reinbacher and Montreal Canadiens statistics via Elite Prospects.
