D David Reinbacher - EHC Kloten, NL (2023, 5th, MTL)

[Colezuki]

Expectations are so out of whack when some are saying they'll be disappointed if he turns into McDonough. McDonough is almost 36 and still delivering positive top-4 impact for his team. Habs should celebrate if he turns into McDonoguh... that is a much better than expected outcome for a 5th overall pick.

People on here want every top pick to be a star, who gets there number retired

 

[montreal]

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

People on here want every top pick to be a star, who gets there number retired

Well when Michkov is right there…

But it is what it is. We will ultimately have to move some dmen for forwards and if Hughes can win those trades then that will make up for it.

 

[montreal]

 

[Fatass]

Just not a fan of this selection when other more impactful players were available. These high picks can’t be missed (if a club wants to really contend and trades aren’t working) during a rebuild.

 

[montreal]

I think they went safe and for need, looking at Lane Hutson and thinking they could be a good fit perhaps. I thought Smith was their pick if he dropped and if not it felt like they were planning on trading down but then something went wrong as it certainly looked bad when you send Carey Price up to announce the pick and he doesn't know who it is, suggesting perhaps some chaos was going on right up to the end.

The Habs will get an NHLer, just a question of how good will he be as his frame, mobility, skating, reach, two way play, aggressive in his play but not overly physical. Right now it seems he's had some troubles adjusting to the much added weight as he was listed last year at 185 and this year he's listed at 209.

So far I'm not too impressed and was not at all in favor of the pick, but if they were say picking in the teens then I feel like it would make sense despite how badly I wanted them to pick a forward. But I see the tools so as long as he can continue to progress then it's just a question of how good can he be.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

That video just shows why a lot of Habs fans hated the pick. It's just a lot of fine, workman like defensive zone play. Where is the sizzle for a player drafted so high?

We still have fans in our fanbase who think this guy is going to be a Seider, Pietrangelo type player and as good as Nemec and Jiricek just because he was drafted high. I don't see it. He is not a massive physical beast like some of those guys, doesn't have the bomb of a shot like several of those guys do and isn't a big time offensive creator. Comparing him to McDonagh right now is not a good comp either, McDonagh has played hard and physical throughout his career.

Looks more like a John Marino/Matt Niskanen (late career) to me. A fine #3 D - should have NEVER been a top 5 pick. More like 12-20 range.

 

[HabsAddict]

I would of liked to see Rein in Laval, but on the other hand if he bombed in Laval, it would crush his confindence.

This rebuild is going to be longer and more painful then we want.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I know Reinbacher wasn’t what Habs fans hoped for and I’m not disagreeing that he was the wrong pick, but I think he’ll be a good NHL defensemen and with Hutson, Guhle, Barron, Xhekaj, Engstrom and some of the others I think the Habs can have a good defense.

What needs work is the goaltending and forwards. They need to invest heavily the next few years on finding essentially a whole first line and a starting goalie.

 

[Goldenhands]

About 1 month ago near 90% of the fanbase thought Slafkovsky was a bust and that Habs missed on a future star in Logan Cooley.

Reinbacher will be very good, will require a bit of time and development, but thats quite fine, there is no hurry.

 

[Jabba11]

Still very high on the kid. Have to be patient. Agreed with Goldenhands.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

That video just shows why a lot of Habs fans hated the pick. It's just a lot of fine, workman like defensive zone play. Where is the sizzle for a player drafted so high?

We still have fans in our fanbase who think this guy is going to be a Seider, Pietrangelo type player and as good as Nemec and Jiricek just because he was drafted high. I don't see it. He is not a massive physical beast like some of those guys, doesn't have the bomb of a shot like several of those guys do and isn't a big time offensive creator. Comparing him to McDonagh right now is not a good comp either, McDonagh has played hard and physical throughout his career.

Looks more like a John Marino/Matt Niskanen (late career) to me. A fine #3 D - should have NEVER been a top 5 pick. More like 12-20 range.

I'll expose myself a bit here, I was a big supporter of Reinbacher getting picked at #5 until it actually happened.

When Price messed up his name, he walked down the stairs like he wanted to puke and was having an anxiety attack. He moved in a very goofy/awkward way. I didn't like his body language but I thought whatever must be nerves I've never been on that big a stage.

What really annoyed me was when he was returned to Kloten after training camp, he ~complained~ to the media that the Habs released him very abruptly, by giving him a plane ticket and not having a longer discussion with him. He also said that he didn't really fit in well with his Habs teammates because the groups were all broken up into 3 groups - Canadians, French Canadians, and Americans - wtf? Just seemed kind of like a whiner.

 

[LeProspector]

Apparently Reinbacher was wanted by Philly at 5th, also.

Then if rumours are true that Arizona wanted him at 6th, it seems he was a sought after commodity.

 

[cheesymc]

Apparently Reinbacher was wanted by Philly at 5th, also.

Then if rumours are true that Arizona wanted him at 6th, it seems he was a sought after commodity.

Unfortunately Price cursed career at draft night

 

[LesCanadiens]

Apparently Reinbacher was wanted by Philly at 5th, also.

Then if rumours are true that Arizona wanted him at 6th, it seems he was a sought after commodity.

He already looks NHL ready. That's probably what teams saw in him. Looks like he thrives in the NA style and rinks based on his training camp this year. I still wish we drafted Michkov for the pure shot at a generational talent. But, Reinbacher impressed me at Habs' camp. And showed more offensive flair and IQ than was reputed.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

About 1 month ago about 90% of the fanbase thought Slafkovsky was a bust and that Habs missed on a future star in Logan Cooley.

Reinbacher will be very good, will require a bit of time and development, but thats quite fine, there is no hurry.

He might be very good. But the problem is that Michkov looks like an offensive superstar and dynamiter who would have been the perfect complement to Slafkovsky. Montreal could have an exceptional player for a No. 5 rank. Whereas a player like Reinbacher, you easily find one every year in the draft. This year, there are plenty of others as promising as him reaching the top 10.

 

[Intangir]

The way I see David Reinbacher is that he is an extremely "safe" prospect on the defense with a very solid ceiling too but a bit lacking in "star upside", kind of like Hanifin in a way.

Now, I wanted Michkov with the 5th pick last year. I wanted him pretty bad.

And then you add in the fact that Reinbacher has somewhat failed to match expectations at times this year in the NLA, moreso considering how good and at times dominant in all three zones he looked last year.

Then you go into the finer details of Reinbacher's game and development, and from the get-go it's impossible not to notice how much bigger Reinbacher looks compared to last year, where he was quite gangly for his height.

Similarly, I did not look at official measurements or the like, but Reinbacher also looks to be a bit taller on the ice now than he was last year so I think he's still adjusting to these changes.

All of which to say that while he is still very solid two-way for Kloten from the games that I've watched, and noticeably more difficult to handle physically by oppsing forwards, I've noticed Reinbacher being a bit slower this year compared to last, a fact which I think is probably a result of the added mass/height/lower-body injury he sustained before the season.

The positive in all of this though is that specific aspect to his game will most likely fix itself as he continues to hit the gym and work on it. Reinbacher's skating mechanics and technique are still very good, and so is his athleticism so I'm not worried about that detail to his game.

On a more positive note though, I still see the tools, the aggresiveness, the intellect, the reliability in Reinbacher's game, the hard passes that he makes that NLA forwards flub but that would be corraled and controlled at the NHL level; all of those elements still give me hope that David Reinbacher will be an effective #3-4 defenseman in the NHL some day, and sooner rather than later.

Ultimately, I am still convinced drafting Michkov would have been the right play to make for the Canadiens.

But I also think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better long-term fit than Reinbacher on a potential NHL pairing with Hutson. And following that train of thought, I can kind of see why exactly our management went down that route instead of the more high-skill and surely more productive way of drafting a guy like Michkov.

 

[MrRuin]

What really annoyed me was when he was returned to Kloten after training camp, he ~complained~ to the media that the Habs released him very abruptly, by giving him a plane ticket and not having a longer discussion with him. He also said that he didn't really fit in well with his Habs teammates because the groups were all broken up into 3 groups - Canadians, French Canadians, and Americans - wtf? Just seemed kind of like a whiner.

classic "Lost in Translation" topic. He was specifically asked about these things and the difference and "strangeness" of an NHL training camp to what he is used to at his Euro/Swiss Team. His answers were far from ~complaining~ as you so gallantly put it. He explained the process as he saw it because he was asked about it. He said nothing about not fitting in or wanting a long discussion with the management. In fact he spoke exceptionally well of the Canadiens and being part of the organization despite of what happend during and after the draft.

The scrutiny Canadiens prospects are under is also very unusual which probably contributes to this hysteria and overreactions about their prospects. Every play from Reinbacher this season is available, every mistake is seen and overanalyzed. Not many organizations have a dedicated fanbase like that and thus many prospects can develop in much quieter waters. I really hope for Reinbacher he does not get affected by this over the top scrutiny by amateurs.

 

[UrbanImpact]

I'm still baffled by this pick.

Reinbacher is a type of Dman you can sign in Free Agency every year. He will be serviceable and reliable. His floor is high but his ceiling is low. Another case of a prospect developing physically faster than their peers which masks their true potential.

Would you want someone like him on your team? sure, absolutely, but not at an investment of a 5th overall draft pick, especially when there is a Home-Run franchise player like Michov sitting on the board.

 

[Eegs]

I know Reinbacher wasn’t what Habs fans hoped for and I’m not disagreeing that he was the wrong pick, but I think he’ll be a good NHL defensemen and with Hutson, Guhle, Barron, Xhekaj, Engstrom and some of the others I think the Habs can have a good defense.

What needs work is the goaltending and forwards. They need to invest heavily the next few years on finding essentially a whole first line and a starting goalie.

I certainly agree with the need for high-end forward prospects.

But in regards to goaltending, the Habs actually have some nice prospects in the system now in goal (Fowler, Dobes). And i'm the last person to be a believer in Sam Montembeault, but he is really starting to change my mind. He looks like he is actually becoming a legit #1 before our eyes.

 

[JRichard]

I'm still baffled by this pick.

Reinbacher is a type of Dman you can sign in Free Agency every year. He will be serviceable and reliable. His floor is high but his ceiling is low. Another case of a prospect developing physically faster than their peers which masks their true potential.

Would you want someone like him on your team? sure, absolutely, but not at an investment of a 5th overall draft pick, especially when there is a Home-Run franchise player like Michov sitting on the board.

Disagree with the free agent comment. He was a top 10 pick for most scouts. But lets not get crazy with the Reinbacher over Michkov.
He didnt do much since the draft to claim he now is a great 5 oa selection. Did he? Yeah he grew like most teens do. he was a rd at the draft too.

 

[TopC0rner]

I'm still baffled by this pick.

Reinbacher is a type of Dman you can sign in Free Agency every year. He will be serviceable and reliable. His floor is high but his ceiling is low. Another case of a prospect developing physically faster than their peers which masks their true potential.

Would you want someone like him on your team? sure, absolutely, but not at an investment of a 5th overall draft pick, especially when there is a Home-Run franchise player like Michov sitting on the board.

I don't get the "developing physically faster"... At the draft, he was still a wiry kid and still had quite a bit of physical development to become a better player. The reason why he can play with men is his high IQ mostly.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I certainly agree with the need for high-end forward prospects.

But in regards to goaltending, the Habs actually have some nice prospects in the system now in goal (Fowler, Dobes). And i'm the last person to be a believer in Sam Montembeault, but he is really starting to change my mind. He looks like he is actually becoming a legit #1 before our eyes.

I agree with your point, but there has to be elite players on a team to be a contender. It can't just be "well, we have an NHL'er, so we're good" type of mindset.

That could be that they develop those players at other positions. Montembeault is an NHL goalie, and maybe as good as a 1B, but 27 year old with minimal real success in the NHL? I wouldn't count on him, even if maybe he ends up surprising. Fowler is a 3rd round pick that hasn't completed a full season after being drafted, and Dobes has a chance to be an NHL goalie, but far from a certainty and probably not going to be an upper tier NHL goalie.

They need to build more at this position, like with the forward core. The defense looks relatively set, although I agree it could always get better. But building a super defensive core also has it's negatives. It's better to spread out the wealth of what you are building. There's only so much TOI to go around on defense, only so many PP spots for defensemen, and only so much of the cap you want to spend on a position group.

 

[Hinterland]

I'm still baffled by this pick.

Reinbacher is a type of Dman you can sign in Free Agency every year. He will be serviceable and reliable. His floor is high but his ceiling is low. Another case of a prospect developing physically faster than their peers which masks their true potential.

Would you want someone like him on your team? sure, absolutely, but not at an investment of a 5th overall draft pick, especially when there is a Home-Run franchise player like Michov sitting on the board.

Top pairing righties are pretty much the most valuable players in the NHL. They hardly ever hit Free Agency and if they do, they're incedibly difficult to sign.

Michkov was on Montreal's (and most other team's) no draft list. That was never gonna happen. Also, he failed to crack a KHL roster this season. Not sure you want a player that only works under certain circumstances.

 

[Hinterland]

I don't get the "developing physically faster"... At the draft, he was still a wiry kid and still had quite a bit of physical development to become a better player. The reason why he can play with men is his high IQ mostly.

Exactly. When asked about his strengths and what he needs to work on he said that he's happy with his offense, his game with the puck but really needs to work on his game against the puck and get stronger.

He's playing a lot worse this season compared to last but I'm not worried. His team is a mess but the adversity will only make him stronger mid and long term. He had lots of injury problems as well. I wonder how healthy he is.