The Montreal Canadiens are betting big on David Reinbacher

Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

NASHVILLE – It didn’t take long for the NHL Draft to get spicy.

After Connor Bedard went to the Chicago Blackhawks to the surprise of absolutely nobody, the Anaheim Ducks veered away from the near-unanimous No. 2 prospect, Adam Fantilli. The team elected to go with Leo Carlsson, with Fantilli falling to Columbus at No. 3.

The San Jose Sharks went the safe route after that, taking the top center remaining with Will Smith at No. 4. That meant four centers to open up the draft, all of whom have huge potential to be quality NHLers sooner rather than later.

But then Montreal decided to turn things up to 11. When the fanbase was clamoring for a top forward, the team elected to draft defenseman David Reinbacher with the No. 5 pick, giving them their top defenseman for the future.

The rumors persisted all week that Reinbacher would be Montreal’s pick. But with the influx of quality scoring talent, it seemed odd for the Canadiens to go with the route they chose.

Montreal is betting big in who they believe in. And the reality is, they’ve got their No. 1 defenseman. They needed one, and they got him.

Reinbacher made a huge splash in the top league in Switzerland, playing around 20 minutes a night in one of the best leagues in Europe. For a guy most didn’t have anywhere near the first round heading into the season, a remarkable campaign thrust him into the conversation early on, and his CV only continued to grow as the season continued.

On the ice, Reinbacher is as confident as they come. Off the ice, he says he’s a humble person who is just enjoying the process. He’s a small-town kid out of Hohenems, Austria. It has a population of 15,200, a town with exactly zero NHLers of record. So Reinbacher doesn’t take anything on his journey so far for granted.

Playing against older, more difficult competition has never been an issue for Reinbacher. There aren’t many other first-year eligible prospects with 73 games of pro experience while playing top-line minutes for their country at the junior and senior national team level in the same season.

But that’s precisely what Reinbacher did. He was Austria’s best player at the World Junior Championship before representing the senior team at the World Championship last for the first time last month. Reinbacher suffered an MCL injury against Sweden in the second game, forcing him to miss three games.

He’s still dealing with a bit of pain nearly a full month later, but that didn’t stop him from playing 23 minutes against Hungary in the final game. Reinbacher’s play was a big reason why Austria avoided relegation over Hungary, a significant moment for a team that has struggled to stay in the top division for two years in a row.

So it’s not a bad pick. But like with Juraj Slafkovsky a year ago, it’ll be one the Canadiens will be scrutinized for, for better or for worse.

If you’re a Habs fan, you’ll love Reinbacher’s game. He can absolutely flatten people. He plays a strong two-way game. If you like Mortiz Seider’s game, you’ll like what Reinbacher brings to the table. He’s so smart with the puck, and he only got better as the season wore on. Reinbacher also has an excellent personality, and the fanbase will grow to love him.

At the same time, I wouldn’t blame Habs fans for being a little disappointed. I fully believe Matvei Michkov would have been worth the wait, no question. Ryan Leonard, a power forward with the USNTDP, was available. So was Oliver Moore, Dalibor Dvorsky and Zach Benson. This was the year to draft a high-quality forward.

Reinbacher isn’t sure where he’s going next year.

He doesn’t have a deal with EHC Kloten, his NL team. He said his plan is to head to Montreal’s development camp and see what happens. Some time in the AHL would likely be best for his development, but he could also get drafted by, say, a QMJHL team at the CHL Import Draft and go from there.

Either way, Reinbacher was the best defenseman in the draft for a reason. After getting a stout winger a year ago, they got a blueliner they can build around and lead the charge out of the team’s rebuild.

But if it doesn’t work out, there’s going to be plenty of “what ifs.”

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The Montreal Canadiens are betting big on David Reinbacher

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