Can David Reinbacher Finally Make the Canadiens Roster?

There is an interesting little battle developing on the Montreal Canadiens' blue line, and it could tell us quite a bit about where David Reinbacher is in his development.

Reinbacher was the fifth overall pick in 2023. That's a pretty significant investment, especially for a defenceman. The Canadiens didn't draft him because they thought he might someday be a useful sixth or seventh defenceman. They were hoping he would become a big part of their future on the right side of the blue line. But hockey doesn't always follow the plan.

Reinbacher’s development has been slower than expected.

Reinbacher has had a difficult development path, with injuries getting in the way. Meanwhile, Adam Engstrom has quietly moved forward. Engstrom played 15 NHL games last season and can play either side, which gives him a pretty useful advantage heading into training camp.

That said, it’s also interesting that the Canadiens have Noah Dobson on the right side, and Alexandre Carrier could be there as well. Beyond that, there isn't exactly a long list of established right-shot defencemen waiting for an opportunity. That should give Reinbacher a real chance.

The Canadiens still appear to be committed to him, and that's important. There has been plenty of speculation about whether Montreal's patience might be running out, but reports suggest the organization is still giving Reinbacher every opportunity to prove he belongs.

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The Canadiens are probably developing Reinbacher in the right way.

The mistake would be to decide what Reinbacher is before he has had a fair opportunity to become the player Montreal thought it was drafting. He doesn't need to walk into camp and prove he's worth being the fifth overall pick. That's history. He simply needs to show that he's ready to help the Canadiens now. That's a much more manageable question.

Engstrom might actually be the safer choice because of his versatility and recent NHL experience. If the Canadiens want somebody who can move around the lineup and handle different situations, he has a pretty good case. But Reinbacher offers something different.

He's a right-handed defenceman with a defensive mindset, and that's exactly what Montreal envisioned when it drafted him. The idea was always that he could eventually complement Lane Hutson, giving the Canadiens a very different kind of player on the other side of a potential pairing. That vision hasn't disappeared. It just hasn't happened yet.

So, can Reinbacher make the Canadiens this season?

The answer is absolutely. But he probably has to force the issue. Montreal shouldn't give him a roster spot simply because of where he was drafted. At the same time, it shouldn't close the door because his development hasn't gone perfectly. Training camp is his opportunity.

And if Reinbacher and Engstrom both play well enough to make the decision difficult, that's not a bad problem for the Canadiens to have. It might even force Montreal to make another move to keep both. For now, though, the message to Reinbacher is pretty simple: the job is there. Go take it.

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