Montreal Canadiens Top 10 Prospects: #4-#3

The fact that Zharovsky did struggle down the stretch is why he doesn’t quite crack the top three prospects. However, Zharovsky trained a good part in Montreal with Demidov, which could have helped him with his conditioning ahead of the KHL season.

If Zharkovsky plays with more consistency in his second KHL season, his chances of becoming that top six forward in the NHL that he is hoping to become would seem more likely. Although players who explode in the KHL may not be able to get it going in North America, so anything can happen.

Despite the hype and talent that Zharovsky is expected to bring with him to North America, he may be a prime candidate to be moved by the Montreal Canadiens if they end up bringing an established top six forward to the team at some point during the 2026-27 season. He is already off to a solid start with two assists through his first two KHL games this season. 

While Zharovsky has shown to be a great prospect, he is far from a sure thing, and that should be taken into account if a great fit such as Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko comes available to the Canadiens. However, for now, he is still a Canadiens prospect, and unless a star comes the other way, he will remain with the organization. It is hard to find a player of his talent, which is what makes him part of the Canadiens’ Big Four prospects, but until he comes over to North America, there will always be questions on whether his skill can translate over.

3. David Reinbacher, Defenseman, Laval Rocket

The third-ranked prospect in the Montreal Canadiens pipeline is defenseman David Reinbacher. 

The development of the Montreal Canadiens’ fifth overall pick in 2023 has been hindered due to a couple of injury-plagued seasons. However, Reinbacher still has the potential to be a top-four defenseman for the Canadiens in the near future, if he can stay healthy. 

The fact that he is coming off his first full season in North America without being held back by a major injury is a positive sign that things could be turning around for Reinbacher. In fact, after a strong summer of training, the Austrian defender has a chance to steal a spot on the Canadiens blueline to start the year. With Noah Dobson and Alexandre Carrier being the only two right-handed defensemen on the main roster, there will be a serious opportunity for Reinbacher.

What makes Reinbacher stand out most is his ability to force opposing forwards to the wall on the rush by cutting off their skating lanes to the net. A huge reason for his success is that he closes the gaps a few steps ahead of his opposition, and it leads to killing many offensive chances. 

Reinbacher has yet to show that he can cut off gaps consistently at the NHL level, but he has only played two games with the Canadiens thus far. Therefore, with more reps and gaining more confidence at the NHL level, his ability to close gaps on his opponents should translate as well. 

Standing at 6-foot-3, 207 pounds, Reinbacher has the ability and strength to be a physical presence that protects his goalie in front of the net, as well as a crease-clearing defenseman. With that being said, he could be a staple on the Canadiens’ penalty kill in the next few years. His defensive game has the potential to make him a Shea Weber-lite type of defenseman in the future. The only thing is he lacks the meanest that Weber displayed on the back end. 

On top of his solid defensive abilities, the Austrian defender has a very good shot and can make good first passes up ice that would allow him to bring some offence to the table. His shot isn’t nearly as lethal as Weber’s, but it can be used as an offensive threat. However, he has already shown that he can make sneaky passes through traffic on his own end to create offence up ice, as evidenced by his first NHL point.

Last season in 57 games with the Laval Rocket, Reinbacher scored five goals and 24 points alongside his +18 rating. While his offensive numbers don’t stand out, he was able to prove that he can play as a power-play quarterback if need be. 

Even so, the Canadiens will likely be looking at him to play more of a defensive role in the team’s top two pairings alongside an offensive defenseman like Lane Hutson. For a smaller left-handed defenseman like Hutson, a big, strong right-handed defenseman that is reliable in his own end like Reinbacher would be the perfect partner. 

Only time will tell if Reinbacher succeeds, but as it stands, he could be the missing piece to give the Canadiens one of the best blue lines in the league in two or three years.

In case you missed the previous rankings, check them out below:

#6. Adam Engstrom and #5. Gleb Pugachyov 

#8. Owen Beck and #7. Bryce Pickford 

#10. Florian Xhekaj and #9. LJ Mooney

The honourable mentions are those who just missed the list.