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

[CanadienShark]

I agree, and of course Hughes deserves the benefit of the doubt at least in terms of us giving Bustbacher more time to cook, but.....

Don't forget about picks like Mesar, too.

We missed out on a lot of high level talent in place of Bustbacher.

We shall see.

Still hopeful but right now it doesn't look great.

*Psst* Your Bruin is showing.

 

[Anardil]

I found Reinbacher to be quietly solid in the Prospect Games. Was he flashy? Absolutely not. But he was defensively solid. He made break out passes efficiently. He made several subtle plays that ended up creating goals and scoring chances.

I feel that he has limited offensive upside. I didn't see a comfort level with the puck on his stick to give me the impression that he will run a PP. I see his ultimate upside as a RHD Guhle.

We will see how his development goes. ATM, not a sexy prospect, but he will be a key piece in helping this team win again.

 

[HawksDub89]

how'd you come to this conclusion

My eye balls. He’s never stood out in any way other than “makes a good first pass” and is solid defensively.

Sounds a lot like a 3/4 D. Which isn’t bad. But not exactly what you’re looking for drafting 5th.

I figured Habs fans would be triggered by this.

If the right guard is a pro bowler and help you win more games. You take it! At the end of the day the key for all sports franchise is winning games and championships. It also mean you found a way to get a better LT which is great for the team. If a Hutson is the PP QB+ pts provider, then you don't need a Reinbacher to play that role.

That being said, Reinbacher is clearly not a bust. He will never become (based on my viewing of him) a top scoring defenseman in the NHL, not a great shot and not overly creative with the puck but his fundementals, defensive awareness and physical attributes are great for a 19 years old defenseman. I think he can become a Slavin type of defenseman. Which is very valuable, no way the Habs trade him away, certainly not this current management who prioritize player development.

Didn’t say he was a bust. I think he’s more than likely a second pairing D with limited offense.

 

[sansabri]

My eye balls. He’s never stood out in any way other than “makes a good first pass” and is solid defensively.

Sounds a lot like a 3/4 D. Which isn’t bad. But not exactly what you’re looking for drafting 5th.

I figured Habs fans would be triggered by this.

damn bro that's like 90% of what makes a really good dman

 

[MXD]

My eye balls. He’s never stood out in any way other than “makes a good first pass” and is solid defensively.

... those are useless without a brain.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

My only real concern for him is his personality, seems like a bit of a softie who might pout or shell up if conditions are less than ideal

I've seen him get physical too but not sure if he'll drop the gloves

 

[Frank Drebin]

My eye balls. He’s never stood out in any way other than “makes a good first pass” and is solid defensively.

Sounds a lot like a 3/4 D. Which isn’t bad. But not exactly what you’re looking for drafting 5th.

I figured Habs fans would be triggered by this.



Didn’t say he was a bust. I think he’s more than likely a second pairing D with limited offense.

Im curious - how many times have you watched him live?

 

[dgibb10]

If the right guard is a pro bowler and help you win more games. You take it! At the end of the day the key for all sports franchise is winning games and championships. It also mean you found a way to get a better LT which is great for the team. If a Hutson is the PP QB+ pts provider, then you don't need a Reinbacher to play that role.

That being said, Reinbacher is clearly not a bust. He will never become (based on my viewing of him) a top scoring defenseman in the NHL, not a great shot and not overly creative with the puck but his fundementals, defensive awareness and physical attributes are great for a 19 years old defenseman. I think he can become a Slavin type of defenseman. Which is very valuable, no way the Habs trade him away, certainly not this current management who prioritize player development.

Drafting a RD like Reinbacher at 5OA is identical to when your NFL team takes a Left Tackle in the top 5 which happens all the time. It's a boring move and results in lots of fanbase squabbling but it is a very important position for team stability and the ability to win consistently.

Dominant left tackles don't get fanbases excited and they don't make the highlights of the night. They win championships. Neither does a Dman like Reinbacher who is a mobile, cerebral defender who is gonna be adept at making breakout passes which will rarely be highlight reel.

You want excitement this isn't gonna be your guy and that's exactly by design.

Just curious if someone used this logic about Demidov when compared to a dman like say, Silayev, Dickinson, Yakemchuk, Levshunov, or a center like Lindstrom, would we hear the same response from MTL fans about how it's better to not make the "flashy" pick

 

[Frank Drebin]

Just curious if someone used this logic about Demidov when compared to a dman like say, Silayev, Dickinson, Yakemchuk, Levshunov, or a center like Lindstrom, would we hear the same response from MTL fans about how it's better to not make the "flashy" pick

No one is doing that in those threads.

 

[montreal]

Why not educate yourself,

 

[dgibb10]

No one is doing that in those threads.

Yes, because most understand taking the potential superstar over the "safe" pick at a more premium (which could still end up busting) is the correct call.

But here we have a number of arguments about the value of taking a dman instead of a winger to justify MTLs pick over Michkov. However I don't see the same logic used by MTL fans in regards to taking Slafkofsky over Nemec/Jiricek, or Demidov over Dickinson/Silayev, which I find interesting.

 

[JianYang]

That’s all good. But I look at what Yzerman did early when he accepted Drouin wasn’t what was hoped at 3OA and got Sergachev and just think Hughes should consider doing the same with Reinbacher. Make good come from bad.

That would be a hasty move. Nobody drafts a guy based on what they think he will be a year removed from the draft, especially at a position such as defensman who also is going through some significant growth spurts since being drafted.

So assuming he doesn't all of a sudden of some character issues or a career altering injury, the notion of moving Reinbacher at this stage is close to zero.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Yes, because most understand taking the potential superstar over the "safe" pick at a more premium (which could still end up busting) is the correct call.

But here we have a number of arguments about the value of taking a dman instead of a winger to justify MTLs pick over Michkov. However I don't see the same logic used by MTL fans in regards to taking Slafkofsky over Nemec/Jiricek, or Demidov over Dickinson/Silayev, which I find interesting.

Do you have a purpose right now other than to express your annoyance at Montreal fans?

 

[MXD]

Just curious if someone used this logic about Demidov when compared to a dman like say, Silayev, Dickinson, Yakemchuk, Levshunov, or a center like Lindstrom, would we hear the same response from MTL fans about how it's better to not make the "flashy" pick

Just curious if you ever raised this question in another thread.

 

[Xirik]

My only real concern for him is his personality, seems like a bit of a softie who might pout or shell up if conditions are less than ideal

I've seen him get physical too but not sure if he'll drop the gloves

I don't see how that could be possible. I would think the Hab's organization would be hyper aware of their media and fans and how...excited they can be. They would never draft someone who is soft and wilts under the spotlight.

Always found Austrian and German people to be pretty stoic and people of not many words until they get to know you for awhile. He'll probably look like a entirely different person by the end of this year once he gets comfortable.

 

[Xirik]

So after watching the two games against the Leafs what are peoples thoughts on if he's going to make the Hab's roster or in the AHL? As of right now I think he needs a little more seasoning in the AHL, perhaps only half of the season. To me it looks like he suffers like many other young defenseman with being timid and not committing to what he should be doing fast enough.

He Definitely should be the first call up if someone gets injured though.

 

[Hinterland]

Dude this is probably why you're getting rinsed for shouting opinions without watching him play. Which is fine btw, it's a prospect thread. People can say whatever, Who cares....

But statements like this don't help your case whatsoever. I'm not excusing reinbacher but the "much larger sample" was an absolute shit show in sense of playing on crap team, all the coaching changes, etc. Choosing to ignore that context while also ignoring his improved play in Laval is just ignorant.

And it wasn't even a write off season btw - Laval was trying to make the playoffs

I don't know if his play in Laval was "improved". Reinbacher was obviously struggling with both injuries and his d partner for large parts of the season...possibly with the added weight as well. He had a really solid stretch of games ahead of joining Laval though.

I think it's important to understand that the situation in Kloten was the exact opposite of the one in Laval. Completely different tasks for Reinbacher but I wouldn't call his play in Laval improved.

The difference between Kloten and Laval was that Laval is focused on player development while Kloten was fighting to stay in the league. Laval was obviously trying to make the playoffs as well but even in this situation it remained the Habs farm. Kloten last season scored two goals per game and was outplayed game after game. Therefore, in order to stabilize the team, defensemen were asked to focus on the defensive side of things and keep things simple with the puck. Reinbacher was Kloten's highest scoring defensemen and no defenseman scored more than 3 goals.

In Laval, obviously a more competitive team compared to Kloten, I'm pretty sure Reinbacher was encouraged and possibly even asked to take risks in order to make plays. That led to more offense but a few more mistakes as well.

Though, as I said, I don't think his play in Laval was necessarily improved I will say that I was impressed with how Reinbacher seemed to have no problem adjusting to a completely different style of hockey. The smaller ice didn't seem to bother him either. That not only shows that he's extremely coachable but also how versatile he is. I was particularly impressed with his ability to hold onto pucks, walk/beat opponents with the puck on his stick...something he never did playing for Kloten and probably isn't necessarily his style either.

 

[Habs7631]

So after watching the two games against the Leafs what are peoples thoughts on if he's going to make the Hab's roster or in the AHL? As of right now I think he needs a little more seasoning in the AHL, perhaps only half of the season. To me it looks like he suffers like many other young defenseman with being timid and not committing to what he should be doing fast enough.

He Definitely should be the first call up if someone gets injured though.

Yeah I think he needs seasoning in Laval. Nothing wrong with that and in fact it’s to be expected since Dman take longer. Him and Mailloux both both in Laval to start the year.

The top pairing will once again be Matheson-Guhle which leaves 1 spot on the RD side since Savard has the other one locked up.

Let Reinbacher and Mailloux play big minutes in Laval in all situations, clean up little parts of their game and bulk up a bit. There will be injuries as always and once Savard is gone at the deadline you call them up.

I think that there’s 0 chance the Habs are risking losing Barron on waiver. But who knows with this new management team. They’ve been full of surprise the whole way in every aspect including player development - look how they just threw Slafkovsky straight to the NHL and let him figure things out on the big stage. Looks like it’s working out but we all knows there was some though times on the way.

Some teams like to overcook their prospects in the AHL (Nashville, Winnipeg), but I don’t get that vibe so far from this management. If Reinbacher/Mailloux have a great camp, and if Gorton/Hughes feels like they need NHL reps ASAP to get better, HuGo are definitely the type to trade one of Savard/Barron to make room.

 

[MXD]

So after watching the two games against the Leafs what are peoples thoughts on if he's going to make the Hab's roster or in the AHL? As of right now I think he needs a little more seasoning in the AHL, perhaps only half of the season. To me it looks like he suffers like many other young defenseman with being timid and not committing to what he should be doing fast enough.

He Definitely should be the first call up if someone gets injured though.

He should be spending the year in the AHL playing 20+ mins in all situations, and not be called up regardless of whether he's the best option (which he'll almost certainly be).

 

[Xirik]

Yeah I think he needs seasoning in Laval. Nothing wrong with that and in fact it’s to be expected since Dman take longer. Him and Mailloux both both in Laval to start the year.

The top pairing will once again be Matheson-Guhle which leaves 1 spot on the RD side since Savard has the other one locked up.

Let Reinbacher and Mailloux play big minutes in Laval in all situations, clean up little parts of their game and bulk up a bit. There will be injuries as always and once Savard is gone at the deadline you call them up.

I think that there’s 0 chance the Habs are risking losing Barron on waiver. But who knows with this new management team. They’ve been full of surprise the whole way in every aspect including player development - look how they just threw Slafkovsky straight to the NHL and let him figure things out on the big stage. Looks like it’s working out but we all knows there was some though times on the way.

Some teams like to overcook their prospects in the AHL, but I don’t get that vibe so far from this management. If Reinbacher/Mailloux have a great camp and they like what they see, Gorton/Hughes are definitely the type to trade one of Savard/Barron to make room for one of them.

In the end it really comes down to parenting style. do you push the kid into the water and how hope he swims with the risk of him drowning or do you gently and slowly introduce them to it even though it make his development slower.

It's really hard to know what's best for each prospect cause each of them are different.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

So after watching the two games against the Leafs what are peoples thoughts on if he's going to make the Hab's roster or in the AHL? As of right now I think he needs a little more seasoning in the AHL, perhaps only half of the season. To me it looks like he suffers like many other young defenseman with being timid and not committing to what he should be doing fast enough.

He Definitely should be the first call up if someone gets injured though.

I think your analysis is spot on

 

[Habs7631]

In the end it really comes down to parenting style. do you push the kid into the water and how hope he swims with the risk of him drowning or do you gently and slowly introduce them to it even though it make his development slower.

It's really hard to know what's best for each prospect cause each of them are different.

Yeah and it’s a bit different for forwards/defenseman.

You can hide a forward and when they make a mistake it’s not the end of the world. A defenseman making a mistake in the NHL is huh... most likely gonna cost a goal. And if they make too many mistakes that lead to goals against, that could crush their confidence. Especially since a big problem in our team is team defense/goal against already... probably don’t want to risk it.

Hutson has Savard as his partner to babysit him. The only LD that could play that role for Reinbacher/Mailloux would be Guhle but he’s already busy playing on his off-side baby sitting Matheson. Whichever one of our rookie RD would make the team right of the bat would probably be paired with Xhekaj/Struble. Don’t think we want that for now lol.

Let them cook in the AHL.

 

[HabzSauce]

I don't know if his play in Laval was "improved". Reinbacher was obviously struggling with both injuries and his d partner for large parts of the season...possibly with the added weight as well. He had a really solid stretch of games ahead of joining Laval though.

I think it's important to understand that the situation in Kloten was the exact opposite of the one in Laval. Completely different tasks for Reinbacher but I wouldn't call his play in Laval improved.

The difference between Kloten and Laval was that Laval is focused on player development while Kloten was fighting to stay in the league. Laval was obviously trying to make the playoffs as well but even in this situation it remained the Habs farm. Kloten last season scored two goals per game and was outplayed game after game. Therefore, in order to stabilize the team, defensemen were asked to focus on the defensive side of things and keep things simple with the puck. Reinbacher was Kloten's highest scoring defensemen and no defenseman scored more than 3 goals.

In Laval, obviously a more competitive team compared to Kloten, I'm pretty sure Reinbacher was encouraged and possibly even asked to take risks in order to make plays. That led to more offense but a few more mistakes as well.

Though, as I said, I don't think his play in Laval was necessarily improved I will say that I wasvimpressed with how Reinbacher seemed to have no problem adjusting to a completely different style of hockey. The smaller ice didn't seem to bother him either. That not only shows that he's extremely coachable but also how versatile he is. I was particularly impressed with his ability to hold onto pucks, walk/beat opponents with the puck on his stick...something he never did playing for Kloten and probably isn't necessarily his style either.

Very well said. Yes I'd say "improved" wasn't the right word, rather "he looked better" in Laval for all the reasons you mentioned

 

[Prairie Habs]

My eye balls. He’s never stood out in any way other than “makes a good first pass” and is solid defensively.

Sounds a lot like a 3/4 D. Which isn’t bad. But not exactly what you’re looking for drafting 5th.

I figured Habs fans would be triggered by this.



Didn’t say he was a bust. I think he’s more than likely a second pairing D with limited offense.

Sounds like you're upset that Chicago took Russian hal gill over demidov and now you're throwing a bit of a temper tantrum.

I'm sure you are a very adept judge of potential talent and are completely up to date and frequently watching other teams players playing on other continents, though.

 

[Just Linda]

Sounds like you're upset that Chicago took Russian hal gill over demidov and now you're throwing a bit of a temper tantrum.

I'm sure you are a very adept judge of potential talent and are completely up to date and frequently watching other teams players playing on other continents, though.

Quite an ironic statement.

While I had Demidov above Levshuvnov, Levshuvnov is a fantastic dman with a lot of traits that could make him a very high end 1D.

Hal Gill isn't a good description of him at all.

I love Reinbacher as a prospect but Levshuvnov is a better prospect easily.