David Reinbacher’s arrival in Quebec: here’s when it could happen

Since the start of the season, there’s been a lot of talk about David Reinbacher’s difficult situation in Switzerland. The 5th overall pick in the last draft is playing for a pretty bad team in Klöten, a team that is already in its third head coaching stint this season.

Let’s just say that it’s not exactly advisable to change coaches so often in order to establish stability in a young player’s development.

And when you look at the standings, you can see that it’s been a difficult season for Reinbacher’s team. Before today’s games, EHC Klöten were 13th (out of 14 teams) in the standings with 47 points.

All this means that, barring a miracle, the club won’t be making the playoffs… and that’s where it gets interesting for Reinbacher.

What you need to understand is that the defender’s regular season ends on March 4… and depending on what happens over the next month, Reinbacher could arrive in Quebec somewhere between March 5 and March 30.

Marc-Olivier Beaudoin has drawn up a good portrait of the various scenarios we’ll be looking at.

All indications are that David Reinbacher will fly to North America and join the @RocketLaval once his season is over, barring a change of plans or an injury.

But when is that? It’s a bit complex, but the answers are below!

The last game of the… pic.twitter.com/kRFbZo6hHv

– Marc-Olivier Beaudoin (@MOBeaudoin1) February 3, 2024

In fact, there seem to be two possibilities for Reinbacher’s arrival in town, and everything will depend on EHC Klöten’s position in the standings at the end of the season. If the club finishes 12th, the season will really come to an end on March 4, which could bring the Austrian to Quebec fairly quickly.

It’s conceivable that he’ll play his first games in Laval, but there’s also a world in which the Habs will offer him an audition at the end of the season. The Rocket remains the most likely avenue, but it’s not the only one.

On the other hand, if EHC Klöten remains in 13th place (or drops to 14th, which is pretty unlikely considering the club’s lead over the last position), the club will have to play a relegation series, i.e. a 4-of-7 series at the end of which the loser will be relegated to the second division.

Reinbacher is likely to play these matches with EHC Klöten, and as the series runs from March 16 to 30, this could (really) delay his arrival.

Beaudoin also raises the possibility that the loser of the 4 of 7 series might have to play another series against the champions of the second division, but notes that this is not assured. So it seems a possibility, but not a guarantee.

In fact, to put it simply, Reinbacher’s arrival in Montreal will be dictated by the end of the season for EHC Klöten, who will be in direct competition with 12th-placed Rapperswil by the end of the season. Rapperswil have a game in hand on Reinbacher’s team, but both clubs currently have 47 points in the bank.

Both teams are in action this afternoon. The standings could therefore change by the end of the day.

So, if Reinbacher and his team are ahead of Rapperswil by the end of the campaign, we can expect to see the defender arrive in Quebec at the beginning of March, in about a month’s time. If not, it could be late March or early April, almost a month later.

The good news is that things are going well for EHC Klöten these days.

We’ll see what happens, but in concrete terms, the next month will dictate whether Reinbacher will arrive in Quebec in early March or whether we’ll have to wait a few more weeks before it happens.

Let’s hope it happens as soon as possible, to give him as much North American ice time as possible.

In a gust

– I like to see that.

– Today’s lineup in Laval.

– Julien Gauthier is unclaimed in the waivers.

– Today’s ballots.

– It’s understandable.