Maxim Lapierre: David Reinbacher Is Where He Should Be

Despite what many said regarding the breakaway goal that former Habs player Anthony Richard scored, it wasn’t all because of Reinbacher’s inability to handle a pass, but was hugely due in part to Zachary Bolduc sending a bad pass back to the point. Reinbacher tried to save the situation, but a streaming Richard was able to cleanly pick up the puck and head in all alone for the goal. Sure, Reinbacher could have been more solid by backing off the puck, but after only playing a total of 34 AHL games (including playoffs) over the past 2 years, it’s normal that he’ll make mistakes, but it’s all part of a learning curve. This is why Lapierre believes Reinbacher is at the right stage of what is expected of him at this point in his development, and it should only get better as time goes on. 

Aside from that one play, Reinbacher had a solidly quiet game, which is what you would want from a defensive-first defenseman like him. Reinbacher can skate up and join the rush when given the ability, but he needs the confidence to do it like he had at the end of last season. That Reinbacher will come back, but due to a lack of games, it will take longer to pick up where he left off than a guy like Lane Hutson or Kaiden Guhle, for example. Also, the truth is, Hutson and Guhle make turnovers too, but with their experience, they know how to handle them better. Either way, Reinbacher has all the skills to be about as successful as Guhle someday. 

For those who immediately call Reinbacher a bust of a 5th overall pick, even though he’s only 20 years old, and still has time to develop as the solid defensive presence that he was picked to be, give him about a year or two more in Laval before judging if he can be that guy or not. Unfortunately, the fact that he’s not a flashy offensive talent like Matvei Michkov or even a potential top 6 grinder like Ryan Leonard will continue to follow Reinbacher until he finally gets to be that guy. The truth is, defensemen take longer to develop, so as of now, Reinbacher is probably exactly where he should be, given his previous injury history and the number of overall games that he has played since coming over from Europe at the end of the 2023-24 season. 

I’ll be the first to admit I was disappointed to not see him dominate the way I thought he could during the Rookie Showcase games a few weeks ago, but I took a step back and realized he just needs more development in the AHL before he gets to be the guy next to Lane Hutson for hopefully the next decade. 

It seems that with Reinbacher not having much experience with playing in North America is already an issue as it is, but with the expectations that fans are putting on him, he’s playing nervous hockey. Sending him to the AHL will allow him to grow his game and even dominate in that league to regain confidence in his game.

Luckily for him, the acquisition of Noah Dobson buys him more time to make sure he’s NHL-ready by developing in the AHL. Nonetheless, Reinbacher will never be flashy but will make reads in the defensive zone. Hopefully, he has a healthy year in Laval this upcoming season, and he can come back to next year’s Training Camp, transforming into the type of player the Canadiens were expecting when they drafted him. Reinbacher may not be NHL-ready yet, but he’s only about a year or so away. 

Do you think Reinbacher will be ready for the NHL in 2026-27?