The Montreal Canadiens have signed recent fifth overall selection David Reinbacher to a three-year entry-level contract, according to a team announcement.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but as a top-five pick Reinbacher presumably is receiving the maximum AAV on the rookie deal ($950k) as well as some significant performance bonuses in case he makes a quick impact in the NHL.
The Canadiens have not finalized their plan on where they’ll have Reinbacher play next season, though by signing this entry-level deal Reinbacher will now get the chance to compete for an NHL job at training camp next fall or be assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
Reinbacher could also always be loaned back to the club he was drafted from, EHC Kloten, and have his entry-level deal “slide” another season.
Laval is shaping up to be extremely well-stocked with Canadiens prospects next season, with top names such as Joshua Roy, Riley Kidney and Logan Mailloux expected to see regular minutes for the team’s AHL affiliate.
There is merit to the idea that having Reinbacher log heavy minutes with that group is the best route to take for his development, as it would not only acclimate him to smaller North American ice surfaces but also allow him to build lasting relationships with his potential future teammates.
There is also merit to loaning him back to Kloten. Reinbacher had quite the season for the recently-promoted Swiss side, rapidly climbing their depth chart and moving from a bottom-pairing, number-six role near the start of the season to a top-pairing, minutes-eating role by the end of the year.
It’s Reinbacher’s immense success in one of the more talented men’s leagues in Europe that got him drafted so high (along with his upside as an all-around defenseman), so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Montreal double-down on Kloten being the right environment for Reinbacher to develop in.
Regardless of what path the Canadiens choose, signing this entry-level deal was largely a formality. While the team faced heavy backlash from a small-but-vocal subset of its fanbase for passing on Russian superstar winger Matvei Michkov to draft Reinbacher, just a quick look at the latter’s game film from Kloten shows exactly why he was such a high pick.
Reinbacher spent quite a bit of time at Canadiens development camp playing with the team’s other top defensive prospect, Lane Hutson, and it’s easy to imagine the two complimenting each other and Reinbacher serving as the long-term partner for the player he recently called “the next Cale Makar.”
But before that can happen, Reinbacher will need to continue to develop his game, and by signing this entry-level deal he’s opened up every possible option to do so.
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