Earlier this week, sports cards manufacturer Upper Deck and the NHLPA held their annual rookie showcase, and 2023 fifth overall pick David Reinbacher represented the Montreal Canadiens. Since being selected by the Habs, the 20-year-old’s path to the NHL has been challenging and plagued by injuries.
Last season, as he was getting ready to spend his first full season in North America, he sustained a serious knee injury in a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and just like that, he was ruled out for five months.
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It wasn’t a wasted season for the youngster, far from it. The Canadiens have become masters of keeping their players involved when injured, a testament to the significant number of injuries sustained by key players over recent years. The blueliner was involved in team meetings, video sessions, and spent valuable time learning to be a professional hockey player on this side of the pond.
At the showcase, when he was asked about his short-term future, the youngster showed maturity beyond his years:
It’s a long-term plan. The team management knows what it’s doing. I focus on myself and my own performance on the ice daily. I try to do what’s best to influence their decision. Of course, my objective is to make the roster now, but we’ll see what happens.
– Reinbacher on his future.
David Savard’s retirement created a big hole on the right side of the Canadiens’ blueline, but the team wasted no time in acquiring Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, not just filling that hole, but getting an upgrade. That, and the team’s acquisition of Alex Carrier from the Nashville Predators, shows the organization wants to take its time bringing the young defenseman along.
They attempted to take a shortcut with Justin Barron after acquiring him from the Colorado Avalanche in 2022. Still, they ultimately had to end the experiment to gain more experience and stability on the blueline, electing to send him to Nashville.
Right now, it looks like the Canadiens already have their seven defensemen for the upcoming season with Carrier, Dobson, Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, and Jayden Struble. Still, the soon-to-be 21-year-old is not seeing that as an issue; he’s just planning on turning up to camp and playing his best. He adds:
I’m just happy to be able to play. We’ll see, I’m keeping a day-to-day approach. At the end of the camp, we’ll see where I’ll be.
While Reinbacher would like to make the lineup, he’s very lucid about the situation and willing to follow the plan the organization has for him. In other words, if he has to start the season with the Laval Rocket, you won’t see him feeling sorry for himself and taking time to get into gear. He’ll be ready to perform and give his team the best of himself, just like he did when he returned from injury for the end of the season and the playoffs.
While he had to be eased back into the competition last season and was getting some swelling in his surgically repaired knee, he’s now 100% healthy and eager to get back on the ice for the new season.
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