There might be a spot available in the lineup for David Reinbacher to grab, but it won't just be handed to him, he'll have to earn it.
The Montreal Canadiens may have just started training camp. Still, one thing already seems clear: even though Kaiden Guhle is rehabbing after surgery, David Reinbacher won’t just be given a spot in the lineup.
For the first two days of on-ice sessions, Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson have been skating together, Lane Hutson and Alex Carrier have formed the second pairing, and Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj have been paired up. That leaves Adam Engstrom and Reinbacher as another pair, perhaps destined to gain more AHL experience with the Laval Rocket.
On Saturday night, against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Montreal, Team A’s pairings should feature Hutson-Carrier, Stuble-Xhekaj, and possibly Owen Protz and Luke Mittelstadt. Even if they are both lefties, one would think they’ve earned the opportunity to play at the Bell Centre; if the Habs absolutely want to have a right-shot D on the third pairing, Aiden Dubinsky or Ethan Samson could have a spot.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, the Habs’ B team should feature only one NHL duo in Matheson and Dobson; Engstrom and Reinbacher should form the second, and the final pair should include two of Braden Hache, Kale McCallum, Maksymilian Szuber, and Reilly Wash. It would be interesting to see what Szuber can do; he was acquired over the summer in return for Joshua Roy.
For now, at least, it looks like the Canadiens are ready to start the season with Struble and Xhekaj as a pairing, even though many had reservations about that duo when they first played together in the playoffs because Dobson couldn't start the first round. They handled themselves just fine. Reinbacher may make the team out of camp, but he won’t just be given a spot; he’ll have to earn it.
Out of the top 17 picks in his 2023 draft year, Reinbacher has the least NHL experience, with only two games. Brayden Yager is the only other who has yet to reach double digits of NHL experience, as he’s only skated in three games. Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson and Ryan Leonard have all broken the bank this summer and signed deals worthy of NHL young stars. Granted, defensemen generally need more time to develop, but it’s been three years; it's time to take the next step.
Does Reinbacher feel any pressure to perform? Apparently, he doesn’t; he shows up to camp every day, enjoys himself, and has fun doing what he loves. In a scrum with the media, he was asked why he thinks he’s ready to make the NHL, and he replied:
Why am I ready? You'll see this weekend.
The message is clear: Reinbacher came to camp to win a spot, but will he manage to do it? Time will tell.
His approach is simple:
Just play my game, don’t try anything fancy or anything new. I know what I can do on the ice, and I have to trust myself, and that’s it.
As for one of his main competitors, Engstrom was asked what he has learned about Reinbacher since he started playing with him, and he explained:
He’s a great guy, a good friend; he’s worked really hard; he’s battled a lot of injuries, so..He works hard; he looks really good out there, so I’m happy for him that he can go out there and show what he can do.
Clearly, the stakes are high for the young defenseman, but he’s approaching it the right way and seems to be in the right mindset to succeed. When the puck drops in Toronto on Saturday night, we’ll apparently see why Reinbacher believes that he’s ready to make the jump to the NHL.
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