David Reinbacher should make his NHL debut “as early as the fall of 2024”

David Reinbacher returned to Europe last season to continue his development.

Circumstances weren’t necessarily favorable for his progression in Switzerland, because the Kloten outfit had a miserable year.

That said, the defenseman finished the season in a Rocket uniform and did well.

The Austrian never seemed to be late to the rink when playing with the Rocket, and that’s the good news.

We wondered how he was going to adapt to the smaller ice surfaces, and even though expectations were high when he arrived in Laval, he’s done really well.

It makes you think Reinbacher is “close” to the NHL… And it makes you think we might see him in Montreal before too long.

If Eric Engels (Sportsnet) is to be believed, at least, Reinbacher could make his big-league debut as early as next fall:

Canadian Reinbacher has sent Reinbacher to Switzerland for one more season with Kloten, but he’s likely to make his NHL debut as early as the fall of 2024. – Eric Engels

The fall season begins on September 2… and ends on December 13.

In other words, Reinbacher could play his first NHL game before Christmas.

On the other hand, there’s congestion on the Habs blue line, and Reinbacher will have to fight for his spot even though he was drafted with the 5th overall pick in 2023.

That’s where we’ll get a better idea of his development.

The important thing for the Habs will be to make sure Reinbacher is ready for the big leagues before sending him off.

We’ve seen in the past with the old management that some youngsters played too quickly in the NHL, which had an effect on their development… And we mustn’t repeat that same mistake.

But the new management is not afraid to take its time, as we saw with Logan Mailloux, who spent all of last season in the AHL.

One step at a time… Because that’s how David Reinbacher is going to become an excellent defenseman in the National League.

In gusto

– Oh!

– Great read on one of the most intriguing prospects in the upcoming draft.

– The question really, really deserves to be asked.

– No surprises here.

– Well done.