The most significant issue when David Reinbacher suffered a knee injury in the preseason was that he would miss a crucial developmental year as he recovered. The injury is expected to sideline him until late February or early March, and it seems like he is progressing along that timeline or possibly a bit earlier.
Reinbacher skated with the Montreal Canadiens main club before the Four Nations Faceoff break, and looked good in limited action as their extra defenseman, albeit in a non-contact jersey. Certain contracts could go to the AHL and practice with the Laval Rocket during the break, and the front office took advantage of that rule and returned Reinbacher to the Rocket.
The defenseman has been getting some valuable time practicing with Laval, and took a significant step in his recovery by shedding the non-contact jersey. The question now is whether the Canadiens will bring him back to Montreal when the parent club is able to resume practicing or if he stays in Laval until he is ready for game-action.
Reinbacher didn't look out of place last season when he came to North America after a rough season in the National League with EHC Kloten. The team also feared that Reinbacher lost a valuable development year in Switzerland last season, which made this year's knee injury even more concerning. He saved a semblance to development with those 11 games in Laval last season, and they hope he can do the same this year.
There should be around 20 games remaining if Reinbacher stays on his current recovery path. He didn't get the benefit of AHL playoff games last season, but it looks like he will get that this season. An extended Calder Cup playoff run will add to his games played this season and be a positive for the organization. If Reinbacher is able to get back in the swing of things quickly and have a postive effect, it'll only add to the team's chances.
Will Reinbacher get games with Canadiens?
Montreal has been fairly quiet with their plan for Reinbacher. He skated with the big club upon his return, but it makes sense to have one of their prized prospects under the watchful eye of their best training staff. It made sense for everyone that he would be going back to Laval after he recovered, but the Four Nations Faceoff added an interesting wrinkle.
The Canadiens didn't officially announce an assignment to Laval, simply because they didn't have to with the break going on and the rule that he could go there to practice. It could mean a number of things, including the possibility that they are in the trade market and could need an extra one or two defensemen in Montreal when they resume playing after the break.
If the Canadiens are sellers at the trade deadline and deal David Savard and/or Mike Matheson, they could give Reinbacher some game-action in Montreal at some point. It'd make sense to start him out in Laval to get back up to speed, but there'd be no problem with him getting a game or two like Logan Mailloux last season.