Don't Expect David Reinbacher To Play With Montreal Canadiens This Season

The Montreal Canadiens finally got one of their top prospects a step closer to the National Hockey League this week.

After an odd couple of weeks to wrap up the schedules in Switzerland's pro hockey leagues, David Reinbacher was free to leave Europe and head to North America. This was nearly delayed as his Kloten club almost had to play a relegation series, or two, to remain in the top circuit in the country.

However, a back and forth Game 7 in Switzerland's tier II league left no potential franchises left that were eligible to be promoted to the top league. That meant Reinbacher's season was over in Switzerland and he was eligible to head to North America.

And what a season it was. Not in a good way though. Reinbacher, at 19 years old, was able to play a big role for Kloten, but they were a disaster. They missed the playoffs, finished second last in their league, and went through three different head coaches in the process. It wasn't the best development season for Reinbacher considering all of the coaching changes, but he is in a better situation now.

Just don't expect him to get called up to the National Hockey League this season. First of all, the Canadiens already have a plethora of options on defense, with fellow right defenders Justin Barron and Logan Mailloux waiting for a chance to join the Habs already.

The Laval Rocket are in the midst of a hectic chase for a playoff spot. There are five teams chasing three playoff spots in the North Division, and the Rocket have just 12 games left to play to try and steal one of those positions.

Having Reinbacher move to North America and jump into that AHL playoff race is enough pressure on a teenager that was a top five pick a year ago. That is a fine step to take to close out this season. After a circus year in Switzerland, getting a little pro experience with the Rocket is an excellent way to finish 2023-24.

Then, once training camp opens next fall we can start to wonder about stepping into the NHL. He is going to play there for a long time, but this season just isn't the right time to push him into the highest level of competition.