“David Reinbacher should be ahead of Alexandre Carrier in the pecking order.”

Michaël Petit
“David Reinbacher should be ahead of Alexandre Carrier in the pecking order.”
Credit: Steven Ryan/NHLI via Getty Images

Montreal Canadiens fans are all eager to see David Reinbacher play full-time in the NHL.

Of course, there's always the question of his health: Can he play a full season?

We'll never know for sure until he plays a full season.

However, when you watch him play, some might say he's ready for the NHL.

Grant McCagg is one person who sees him making the team right from the start of next season.

Not only does he believe Reinbacher will make the team, but in his opinion, Reinbacher should already be ahead of Alexandre Carrier in the pecking order. That's what he said during his most recent episode of HabsCast.

When you watch his AHL games, it makes sense to believe he's already ready for the NHL.

He has a solid build, is reliable defensively, has excellent speed (especially for his size), and can also contribute offensively.

Plus, he makes very few mistakes, which is rare for a young defenseman. It's also worth noting that he's already played four seasons at the professional level.

And that's not to mention the fact that the Habs were exploring options for a big, defensively reliable right-handed defenseman, and Reino could very well fill that need.

However, placing him ahead of Carrier in the pecking order is probably a bit of a stretch. At least, until he secures a regular spot with the big club, we can't say that.

If we track his progress, there's no doubt he'll eventually make the cut—probably sooner rather than later.

Before jumping to conclusions, we'll have to see how he performs at the next training camp, and McCagg would very much like to see him play alongside Lane Hutson. In his view, they're the perfect pairing, and honestly, I've seen this duo as the Habs' future top pairing ever since both players were drafted.

Keep in mind that the two young defensemen have spent a lot of time together at training camps ever since they joined the organization.

If the Austrian impresses at camp, the defensive pairings could look like this:

  • Hutson–Reinbacher
  • Matheson – Dobson
  • Guhle – Carrier

At that point, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj would be the backups, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Habs keep two extra defensemen.

On the other hand, I think the Habs could certainly trade Struble, for example. Xhekaj brings an intimidating presence, even when he's not in uniform. We know the Bruins are big fans of Struble.

In short, before we go any further with Reinbacher's situation, let's wait and see how he performs at the next training camp.

My prediction? He'll make the team.


In a Nutshell

– Listen to this.

– Indeed.

– Fantilli is likely to command a lot of money.

– Worth a read.

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