David Reinbacher: There is a strong need for him to fill a position

Félix Forget
David Reinbacher: There is a strong need for him to fill a position
Credit: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Things have been going really well for David Reinbacher since the start of the Canadiens' training camp. The defenseman, who is looking to secure a full-time spot in the NHL, is one of the players who has stood out the most after two nights of preseason games.

He's clearly improved over the past few months, and it shows on the ice.

And with Kaiden Guhle set to miss the start of the season (and Alexandre Carrier clearly not at 100%), it's easier to envision a scenario where Reinbacher starts the year in Montreal. That doesn't mean he'd be out of a spot as soon as Guhle returns, but it does open up an extra spot.

But beyond his talent or the fact that he's right-handed, there's another need for the Canadiens that works in Reinbacher's favor: the team doesn't have enough defensemen to share the workload on the penalty kill, as Guillaume Lefrançois (La Presse) pointed out, citing an observation by Dany Dubé.

And that works out well: Reinbacher has been playing on the penalty kill since the start of camp, just as he did in Laval last year.

We know that, as things stand, Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson are the ones logging the bulk of the shorthanded minutes. Guhle and Carrier are also seeing ice time… but that's pretty much it.

Lane Hutson is used only very rarely (to maximize his offensive impact)… and Martin St-Louis clearly doesn't trust Arber Xhekaj or Jayden Struble in this phase of the game.

Relying on five defensemen capable of playing on the penalty kill (once Guhle returns) wouldn't be a luxury for the Habs, who currently find themselves overloading guys like Matheson and Dobson with penalty-killing duties. Both are already logging a lot of minutes at 5-on-5, and letting them catch their breath a bit on the penalty kill wouldn't hurt.

And it would help even more when one of the four defensemen used on the penalty kill is the very one who took the penalty in question, you know…


Quick Thoughts

– Fair enough.

– Worth a read.

– Dan Vladar is injured.

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