4 Defensemen to watch at Montreal Canadiens Rookie Camp

I tried to narrow this list down to three players but would have been doing one of these defensemen an injustice if I had cut them. The Montreal Canadiens rookies will kick off this year's training camp on September 11th, with two intriguing games against the Toronto Maple Leafs rookies on September 14th and 15th. Habs fans may see one of the best rookie groups in Canadiens history, and the Maple Leafs game could feature four NHL defensemen. We also aren't talking about four NHL defensemen of the future, as these guys could contend for a spot at some point in 2024-25.

David Reinbacher

We won't harp on this point for every player but it rings true for all their chances of making the team. The Montreal Canadiens blue line is a numbers game, and all four defensemen won't be able to make the team out of camp. There will be a point when they all wear the bleu, blanc, et rouge, but it probably won't be this season. If they are all in the same lineup this season, it likely means there were some injury issues, or the Canadiens weren't that good this season and traded both David Savard and Mike Matheson.

Reinbacher seemed like the best candidate to spend this season in Laval and grow into the North American professional game. However, fans have been raving about how much bigger he looks and how dominant he was in international play with Austria this offseason. If Reinbacher begins this rookie camp by looking like a man amongst boys, he will make some difficult decisions for the Canadiens' front office.

Lane Hutson

The one player who could benefit from the Patrik Laine trade the most is Lane Hutson. He has a good opportunity to claim the open spot left behind by Jordan Harris' departure. It's hard to see where Hutson would fit with Mike Matheson owning the first powerplay role, but Hutson's two assists in two games last season showed he wouldn't be out of place in the NHL.

This training camp will be a good chance to show Pierre McGuire that his Hutson claims this offseason are untrue, and it'll start with those two games against the Maple Leafs rookies next weekend.

Adam Engstrom

There's no doubt that Adam Engstrom could be a future defender on the Canadiens. He looked good in the SHL last season, recording 22 points with Rogle BK. He played two professional seasons in Sweden but will need a season in Laval to learn the North American game. This will be fans' first look at Engstrom in North America, and he could be the most intriguing of all the players at rookie camp.