Could David Reinbacher hold number one defenseman potential?

Montreal Canadiens management knew exactly what they were doing when they selected David Reinbacher fifth overall at the 2023 NHL Draft.

Sure, there were plenty of forward options that might have put the Habs in a better place in terms of offensive attack. But they saw the potential and intrigue that Reinbacher could one day bring to the Habs and decided it was too tantalizing to pass on. His confidence while bruised because of the debacle in the NL, was still very much intact.

This was made clear when he stepped on the ice for the Laval Rocket, and despite being brand new to the North America game, he played with so much poise. It isn't easy to take the puck through the neutral zone, into the offensive zone and then find space to create high danger scoring chances. Reinbacher created, but he also capitalized showing off an intriguing toolkit.

Maybe he hasn't shown a whole lot of what he is capable of, but with time I think many doubters will feel silly. I don't expect that it will happen right away, but I have this vision that he will end up on the Canadiens top pair at some point. It seems natural that it's alongside Hutson, but I think that Reinbacher has the potential to be much better offensively than we all believe - and a defensive defender might be best suited to pair with him.

This goal against Slovakia in the 2026 Olympic qualifiers, showed off his anticipation and lack of fear to insert himself into the offence from a defensive posture. He joins his forwards as an outlet, plays give and go and then fires home a nice wrister in the attacking zone. The shot resulted in a goal against the Juraj Slafkovsky'less Slovakians, one that he will likely be able to create, if not score in the NHL.

There is plenty of time for Reinbacher to develop in North America

I think it's fair to say that everybody wanted Reinbacher to play in Laval last season, because he had all the tools to do so. it didn't workout that way and watching his season basically go to waste was frustrating. It's not that he didn't learn anything or improve his game, but it was hard for him to find any momentum on such a poor team.

Had he played in Laval, there would have been ample opportunity to climb up the blueline depth chart, and perhaps play on both the penalty kill and power play. Reinbacher has the strength, smarts and an impressive skating ability to keep up. If anything, he would be a bit further ahead because he adjusted to the smaller surface, which requires quicker decision-making and improving his gap control.

I suspect he will catch up pretty quickly, but growing pains are normal for rookies at every level and that's okay. He isn't expected to come in and challenge for a spot on the Canadiens blue line if he does awesome. But he is expected to learn and work hard, and with the right coaching, he should reach a high potential.

But the goal is for him to continue progressing and develop into a pillar for the Habs defence down the road. He wasn't drafted to step right into the Canadiens lineup and be a dominant force from the outset. It's almost unheard of for a defenseman to do that in the NHL, but I suspect when he hits his stride, the Bell Centre will be very pleased that they put their trust in Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton to assemble the vision of a winning team.

Reinbacher is coming and what he will become might surprise many - I think there is so much potential and we haven't seen anything yet.