David Reinbacher has heard the criticism ever since the Montreal Canadiens selected him fifth overall in 2023. Montreal wanted to address its defence, but with Matvei Michkov, Ryan Leonard, and Zachary Benson still on the board, many questioned whether selecting the defenceman was a mistake rather than going best player available. Things did not get any better for Reinbacher when he finally made the trip over to North America. He suffered injuries in the Canadiens preseason games in back-to-back seasons, limiting his time on the ice. After recovering from his hand injury this past season, Reinbacher stayed relatively healthy for the remainder of the year and eventually made his NHL debut in April. Reinbacher will turn 22 in October, and with it being his fourth year in the Canadiens organization, it is time for the former 5th overall pick to show that Montreal were not wrong picking that high in the draft.
Injuries stunted Reinbacher’s development
After joining the Canadiens following the conclusion of the National League in 2023-24, Reinbacher was immediately assigned to the Laval Rocket, playing in 11 games before the end of the season. He had a strong start to his career in the AHL, recording two goals and three assists. Heading into the next season, the likely plan was for Reinbacher to play out the season with the Rocket, and if he was progressing well, he would get a call-up to the Canadiens late in the season, but that is not how it played out. During a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Reinbacher took a hit from Marshall Rifai and left the game. The Austrian defenceman suffered a knee injury that required surgery, keeping him out of the lineup until February. He appeared in just 10 regular-season games in the 2024-25 season, recording two goals and three assists, but was in the lineup for the Rocket playoff run that saw them make the Eastern Conference Final.
The next season, now fully healthy, Reinbacher was participating in the Canadiens training camp, with an outside chance of making the team’s opening day roster before the injury bug struck again. Once again, in a preseason game against the Maple Leafs, Reinbacher suffered a broken bone in his hand that would keep him out of the lineup for a month. He made his season debut with the Rocket on October 31st and remained relatively healthy for the rest of the season. Reinbacher played in 57 games this past season with the Rocket, recording five goals and 19 assists. In April, he finally got his chance to make his NHL debut, playing in the Canadiens final two games of the season while they were dealing with injuries on their blueline. He averaged just over 13 minutes a night in the two games he played, recording an assist. Now heading into the 2026-27 NHL season, Reinbacher will be feeling the pressure to make the Canadiens roster and live up to the 5th overall billing.
Pressure is now on Reinbacher to make Canadiens
The players selected around where Reinbacher was picked in the 2023 draft have already begun to make an impact for their NHL teams. In fact, out of all the players picked in the first 15 selections, Reinbacher has played fewer NHL games than every single one of them. While it is true defencemen take longer to develop than forwards, there were two other defencemen selected in the first 15 picks, and both have played substantially more games than the Austrian defenceman. The injuries have not helped Reinbacher’s situation, but after a nearly completely healthy season and a call-up to the Canadiens last year with the Rocket, it is time for him to make the jump to the NHL. If not, it could become increasingly more likely that he becomes a trade chip for Montreal. With the Canadiens looking to add a top-six centre or winger, if Reinbacher does not make the team out of training camp, it is entirely likely that his name begins to be thrown into trade discussions.
There is still a lot of time until training camp opens, but as it stands, the Canadiens will be coming in with a very similar defensive core, with the only question mark being Arber Xhekaj and whether he agrees to a contract extension. Either way, if and when Xhekaj re-signs, his play last season, along with Jayden Struble, was not good enough to come into this season with a guaranteed roster spot. If Reinbacher can showcase that he is a more reliable option than Xhekaj and Struble, there is a good chance he could start with the Canadiens next season. There is also the fact that Reinbacher is a right-hand shot, and out of all the defencemen who played regularly for the Canadiens last season, only two were right-hand shots, Noah Dobson and Alexandre Carrier. It is a position of need for the Canadiens. Now it is just up to Reinbacher to seize the opportunity.
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