David Reinbacher is one of the Montreal Canadiens biggest hopefuls in solidifying the defence corps of the future.
After a disappointing season with EHC Kloten, Reinbacher's offensive potential didn't take much of a step forward. While he led his team in points for a defenseman, the team was awful and that is putting it lightly. Surely he held back a bit, afraid to make a mistake and get stapled to the bench; as he was the youngest player on the team.
Because of his low-point output, it's hard to judge how far his offensive game can grow. But looking at his combination of size and mobility, it's hard to imagine him not being an impactful player. The 2024-25 season will be one to watch closely because it will be a good chance to get a good idea of what Reinbacher will eventually bring to the Habs lineup.
The fact that he has experience playing in a professional hockey league against men gives him some experience to lean on. And if he didn't back down from the rough stuff when he had a short AHL debut stint, then I don't expect he will be pushed around. He was picked fifth overall for a reason, and I expect that he will give a glimpse of why this season.
Here’s David Reinbacher last season with the Laval Rocket.
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) August 15, 2024
He’s not just a big, smooth-skating, right-handed defenseman, he’s got some meanness & toughness to go with that 6’3, 209 pound frame too. He won’t be pushed around.
It’s good to see. pic.twitter.com/ho5oSgX9zi
What is his offensive potential?
Big, smooth and physical sound like three great ways to describe Reinbacher, but he also has some bite to his game and confidence in his style. He has a heavy, accurate shot and some sneaky good puck skills. I suspect that he put in hard work this offseason or else he might not be as confident as he is for his first Canadiens training camp.
I think that he has some room to add muscle to his frame, maybe 10-15 pounds and with it, he will have a heavier shot and be harder to handle around the net. But let's touch on the first part - a heavier shot - if he can utilize a heavy slapshot, snapshot and wrist shot, I expect he will create a ton from the blue line. And if you factor in his mobility and vision, I expect he will find some success rushing the puck to the net and challenging the goaltender one-on-one.
If he plays the full season in the American Hockey League with the Rocket, I don't see why he can't score 10-15 goals. I think he will produce more assists than goals, though, which leads me to believe that he could probably produce 15-20 assists this season. As for NHL prediction, I think he leans more defensive than an offensive defender, but I don't see why he can't be a perennial 35-40-point scorer.
I think his strength will be his ability to matchup against the top players and shut them down with his speed, positioning and smart defensive stick. But there is definite reason to believe that he will produce some offense. I think he is too talented to not contribute to the Habs goal scoring.