“David Reinbacher would be the worst player to trade right now.”

Marc-Olivier Cook
“David Reinbacher would be the worst player to trade right now.”
Credit: Steven Ryan/NHLI via Getty Images

Ah, David Reinbacher…

It seems like people have always been cautious when talking about him ever since he was drafted three years ago. And that's understandable: the young player has been injured a few times, and we haven't seen him reach his full potential.

That makes him an… intriguing player right now.

That said, Brian Wilde was quick to point out (on the Sick Podcast) just how much the Canadiens believed in Reinbacher when they selected him fifth overall in the 2023 draft. The organization saw him as a defenseman capable of becoming a key part of their defensive corps.

And while the Habs still believe in him, Wilde believes Reinbacher would be the worst player to trade right now. There's a case to be made:

It's a valid point because we're talking about a player who can help the Canadiens in the future—especially given that he's right-handed.

But Wilde also raises another extremely interesting point: If the Canadiens were to decide they no longer truly believe in Reinbacher, how could they convince another team to believe in him?

That's where it gets a bit problematic.

If Montreal trades its fifth overall pick after a few tough seasons and a development path hampered by injuries, his value on the market is likely to be far from that of a young defenseman whom teams would be fighting over.

In other words, the Canadiens could trade Reinbacher at the worst possible time… And that's exactly what they need to avoid.

The best option might be to give him a real chance to show what he can do in Montreal. He'll need to have a strong training camp to impress management… but he has what it takes to do so.

It remains to be seen whether the young player can make a statement at training camp… and we can all agree that it would make a lot of people happy if that were to happen.


In a nutshell

– Me too.

– I like that.

– Drogba!

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