Canadiens Call Up Reinbacher

The Montreal Canadiens announced on Sunday morning that they had called up David Reinbacher from the Laval Rocket. Nobody was sent back down in a corresponding move, which likely suggests Mike Matheson will not be making the trip to New York to face the Rangers.

The veteran, who was a game-time decision, missed the last game with a nagging injury and has already missed 11 of the team’s 20 games this season, so it wouldn’t be wise to go on the road with just six healthy defensemen.

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Having Reinbacher in the lineup also gives Martin St-Louis a balanced defense corps with three left-handed and three right-handed players. The Austrian has seven points in 15 games in Laval so far this year and played one game with the Habs on October 17, a 4-3 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres, in which he was held off the scoresheet.

Whether he plays or not, the youngster is ready to work hard, and if he gets a chance to play, he’ll be happy to step in. Unlike most people, Reinbacher didn’t find out he was called up early Sunday morning; he learned the news Saturday night on the bus ride home from Rochester, where they lost 5-4 in overtime to the Americans despite Sasha Pastujov scoring a hat trick.

If Reinbacher does get to play, it would make sense for him to start on the third pairing, once again alongside Xhekaj. There’s no point in throwing him in the deep end right away. St-Louis seems to like playing Lane Hutson with Noah Dobson. Kaiden Guhle plays his best hockey on his natural side, and last season Alexandre Carrier played better when he wasn’t paired with Xhekaj. It would therefore make sense to start with those pairings. If Reinbacher can handle more, you can tinker with the pairs if needed. That’s provided the Austrian does play and isn’t just an insurance policy.

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