The panel discusses the importance of veterans in Montreal David Reinbacher has been out with a long-term injury and now he’s back at Canadiens’ practice. The big defenseman has played in 11 games for Laval. He had five points in those games but that was last season. Everything has changed. Knee surgery isn’t as severe as it was a decade ago. Players rarely miss a step when they return thanks to next-level rehab and healing methods. None of that is a worry to me. My only worry is he wasn’t a professional for a long time, Going back to Laval is like starting over. Reinbacher’s [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/what-should-be-expected-from-david-reinbacher-] brain knows what to do but replicating the speed of the game, even in the AHL, will take a while to reach. Practice is fine but you can only do so much to replicate game action. I doubt the team has set a timetable for his return. They first need to see how he looks on the ice and how his body reacts to practicing. All of that will be closely monitored. If it were up to me, I would break it to him gently that playing for the big club this year won’t happen. He’s still a developing player and needs extended AHL time now more than ever. He’ll be 21 next October and that’s when he can dream about playing in the NHL. Reinbacher needs a great summer of training to set him back on the right track. I still look at him as a 40-45 point, physical defenseman who can be the glue of the Canadiens blue line in the future. There’s plenty of time to see how that works out.
