The “positive” behind Patrik Laine’s injury

Saturday morning, I set an alarm on my phone. Monday, September 30, 7:00 a.m.: write about David Reinbacher.

It was ten hours before the young Austrian had to leave the game against the Leafs on one leg.

What was I going to write about Rhino? That it’s too early to get too excited, but that the data collected since the start of training camp is cause for concern.

He hasn’t had a great rookie camp, seeing guys like Lane Hutson, David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom score more points than him in the heads of management.

In his first prep game (against the Devils), he was effective, but he didn’t break the bank either: +1, 19m39, 1 check and 2 blocked shots.

His second prep game was a copy of his first: +1, 17m51, 1 check and 2 blocked shots.

The rest is history: he injured his knee early in his third exhibition game.

Many said that Reinbacher needed to be patient… that he had had a (very) difficult season last year in Kloten due to instability behind the bench… that he would need a full season in Laval to find his bearings and fully assimilate what it’s like to play professional North American hockey (small ice, toughness, reaction time, etc.).

And now, boom, Reinbacher may have to miss several months – or even the whole season – with a knee injury. In fact, the young Austrian is beginning to suffer a fair number of knee injuries…

No, David Reinbacher won’t lose what he’s already got. Playing hockey is like riding a bicycle – you never lose it! But it’s the things he would have learned – and won’t – that give cause for concern in his case. Everything he apparently needed to experience this season in Laval to regain a pace of development worthy of a prospect drafted as high as he is, he may not experience.

I know that Patrik Laine’s injury devastated the entire Québécois population on Saturday night, because it put an end to the prospects that fans – and the entire organization – had for the 2024-25 season. And since Reinbacher was destined to play at Place Bell – and not the Bell Centre – we all “forgot” about the injury he sustained. We’re always more focused on the short term than the long…

But Laine was a short-term project. He was supposed to give us two good seasons, then probably leave. Either because he would have been too good (see Sean Monahan who broke the bank elsewhere), or because he no longer had the level…

And with this second serious injury in as many seasons, chances are Laine’s career is simply over.

Except that in the case of Reinbacher, the fifth overall pick, the plan is for him to play on Montreal’s defensive top four for the next ten years. That’s the plan.

Knowing that he won’t develop as he should have in 2024-25, when he already seems to be behind on his production curve, is a bad sign for the next 10 ten years…

In his second post-draft season, Ramus Dahlin was already an NHLer capable of racking up 40 points in the best league in the world. Quinn Hughes? A 50+ point NHLer!

Alex Pietrangelo had played nine games with the Blues before going on to burn up Canadian junior.

As for David Reinbacher, he may have to stick to doing physio with the Habs therapists…

Making a mistake with your fifth overall pick
Yes, the draft is an inexact science. Granted…

But there’s a damned fine line between getting it wrong with a fourth-round pick – or even a late first-round pick like Filip Mesar – and getting it wrong with a fifth overall pick. The odds of drafting an elite player are much lower with a long shot than with a top 5 pick .

The Habs got it wrong in 2018 when they called Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s name on the amateur draft floor.

Martin St-Louis may thank his team of scouts, but the fact remains that if Reinbacher doesn’t become a defenseman in the mold of Alex Pietrangelo, the team will have tanked for nothing in 2022-23. And that will have repercussions on the team’s rebuilding, which will be delayed by a year (and which could fail, since some good young players will have used up a year of their contract for nothing before going independent).

Kappo Kaako… Vitali Kravstov… Lias Andersson…

Many experts and fans were sceptical about the decision to put the responsibility for the amateur draft in the hands of Nick Bobrov and Jeff Gorton. Let’s hope the Reinbacher case doesn’t prove them right…

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Matvei Michkov collected three goals and three assists in three pre-draft games. He’s the NHL’s leading scorer since the start of the preseason calendar. And he has a plus-4 rating.

Not bad for a guy who seems to be loathsome, even if we’re only talking about the preseason…

Selecting Reinbacher when Michkov was available could haunt the Habs for more than a decade. As could choosing Kotkaniemi over Quinn Hughes and especially over Brady Tkachuk…

The games Reinbacher won ‘t play at 19/20 won ‘t come back. The lessons he won’t learn may never be learned in the same way, or as effectively.

In short, I was worried about Rhino’ s development on Saturday morning; I’m even more worried 48 hours later.

Since a psychologist once suggested that I should always find something positive in a situation that looks negative, I’ll go with this conclusion: Patrik Laine’s injury will delay the Habs’ rebuild and take a lot of the fun out of 2024-25… but it could help us lift a Stanley Cup in a few years’ time. Why? Because the Canadiens could still be drafting top-five players next June.

Provided Bobrov and Gorton have the right player on their list, but hey…

Overtime

– Juraj Slafkovsky is the player Arpon Basu expects to have his breakout season with the Habs. [TheAthletic]

– Classy!

NHL to honor Gaudreau brothers with helmet decalshttps://t.co/mI5fKt6MSb

– NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) September 30, 2024

– The mother of the two Xhekaj brothers thanks the fans who donated.

Turning negative situation to miracles for our patients.
Kind, generous and caring hearts are everywhere.
Thank you on behalf all voiceless souls to all, who donated and supported this https://t.co/3wEHBzZ5S8

– Simona Xhekaj (@SimonaXhekaj) September 30, 2024