Prospect Info: David Reinbacher - Laval Rocket edition

[montreal]

Anybody watched Laval and has an update on his play so far in the playoffs?

There's a lot of him in my vids. He's had his ups and downs for sure, I like the offense, at times he has some issues in his own end but in the AHL to date I haven't seen him make any really poor defensive decisions like I saw in the NL and even those were rare. He's aggressive in jumping into the play as well as using his stick to defend. He's shown a little more on the physical side of things as he's no cream puff but still needs to learn to use his excellent frame to his advantage more.

Outside of any issues with the knee, I got to think he 100% sees NHL games next year at some point. But I have said since I started watching him that he is a lock for the NHL as players with his size, mobility, skating, two way game will always get looks in the NHL but especially as a 1st rounder. It's only been a question of how good will he be in time and for me that's still pretty wide open but he's looking like it shouldn't be too much of a reach to be a very solid 2nd pairing D on say a contending team or close to it.

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

I actually think that we're going to either trade for a good, experienced RD (Pulock, Andersson, maybe a less-heralded option) or sign a UFA D (Ekblad, Gavrikov, Orlov, Perbix, etc.) to give us an additional veteran presence to solidify our defense.

And I also expect Reinbacher to be given a spot out of the gate on our blueline next season.

Something like:

Hutson-Reinbacher
Guhle-UFA/trade target
Matheson-Carrier
Xhekaj, Struble

or:

UFA/trade target-Hutson
Guhle-Reinbacher
Matheson-Carrier
Xhekaj, Struble

My preferred change would be to acquire Pulock and put him with Guhle. That pairing would be strong defensively, stout physically, and also have some good transition ability if we gave Pulock a longer leash than he gets with the Islanders.

What are your thoughts on getting Adam Larsson from Seattle?

 

[JadedRandom]

What are your thoughts on getting Adam Larsson from Seattle?

He would be a fine grab also, except that I think Seattle won't trade him given that they just extended him back in September of 2024.

Vince Dunn, Brandon Montour and Adam Larsson are the three veteran pieces on the defense that I think Seattle would be loathe to trade.

They're looking for LHD rather than RHD, so maybe we could do something for them and trade them a D for one of their forwards (McCann would be a great acquisition for us as a shooting option with versatility, speed, and a decent frame), but barring that I think we don't make ideal trade partners for the Kraken given their needs (high-end offensive talent, and overall defensive help) don't match our surpluses.

All of those circumstances notwithstanding, I'd still have Pulock higher on my list than Larsson as a target for the Canadiens because Pulock is, in my mind at least, a higher-end transition player, younger, and hasn't blocked nearly as many shots as Larsson has so far in his career so that might mean that Pulock could hold better in the last couple of years of his contract.

But hey, it'll all come down to price.

If Seattle is okay with trading us Larsson straight-up for Matheson, we should at least be listening.

As for Reinbacher, well, the more I see him play the more I think that he'll be a slamdunk second-pairing defenseman if his knee doesn't completely shatter before that.

Reinbacher smothers offense on the boards, gaps-up incredibly well denying zone entries, blocks passing/shooting lanes well, anticipates plays well and is able to break the cycle on his own, is a "+" transition player, you name it and he does it well defensively.

And that, combined with his frame/strength, hockey sense, skill, and mobility make Reinbacher close to a blue-chip prospect for us, with only injuries holding him back from that status.

Reinbacher is, with Fowler, the only true untouchable of our rebuild if we consider Demidov already "graduated".

The picks this year, future picks, Hage, Engstrom, Xhekaj, Beck, Kapanen, and everything else should be fair-game if it gets us a young-ish 2C and/or a young-ish top-4 D (preferably RD).

 

[Vachon23]

My preferred change would be to acquire Pulock and put him with Guhle

Pulock have been has his best when he played on a shutdown pair with Adam Pelech, who I think can compare in a certain point to Guhle, so it's not a bad idea at all

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

He would be a fine grab also, except that I think Seattle won't trade him given that they just extended him back in September of 2024.

Vince Dunn, Brandon Montour and Adam Larsson are the three veteran pieces on the defense that I think Seattle would be loathe to trade.

They're looking for LHD rather than RHD, so maybe we could do something for them and trade them a D for one of their forwards (McCann would be a great acquisition for us as a shooting option with versatility, speed, and a decent frame), but barring that I think we don't make ideal trade partners for the Kraken given their needs (high-end offensive talent, and overall defensive help) don't match our surpluses.

All of those circumstances notwithstanding, I'd still have Pulock higher on my list than Larsson as a target for the Canadiens because Pulock is, in my mind at least, a higher-end transition player, younger, and hasn't blocked nearly as many shots as Larsson has so far in his career so that might mean that Pulock could hold better in the last couple of years of his contract.

But hey, it'll all come down to price.

If Seattle is okay with trading us Larsson straight-up for Matheson, we should at least be listening.

As for Reinbacher, well, the more I see him play the more I think that he'll be a slamdunk second-pairing defenseman if his knee doesn't completely shatter before that.

Reinbacher smothers offense on the boards, gaps-up incredibly well denying zone entries, blocks passing/shooting lanes well, anticipates plays well and is able to break the cycle on his own, is a "+" transition player, you name it and he does it well defensively.

And that, combined with his frame/strength, hockey sense, skill, and mobility make Reinbacher close to a blue-chip prospect for us, with only injuries holding him back from that status.

Reinbacher is, with Fowler, the only true untouchable of our rebuild if we consider Demidov already "graduated".

The picks this year, future picks, Hage, Engstrom, Xhekaj, Beck, Kapanen, and everything else should be fair-game if it gets us a young-ish 2C and/or a young-ish top-4 D (preferably RD).

Yeah I agree. The more I watch him the more I think he'll probably be Guhles future partner. And while I think Hutson will be the most important individual D on the habs, I think Guhle's pair will be the most important D pairing on the team.

But I can also see him with Hutson if they decide to get a shutdown type D to play with Guhle. He's versatile like that. That's why I harp on people saying that the habs need a no.1 D or a top pair D. No they just need a legit top 4 RHD.

 

[Hins77]

I was watching Rocket yesterday and I really like Reinbacher game. I think he is a a kind of futur Hampus Lindholm. Safe defensively with and offensive touch.

 

[cphabs]

There's a lot of him in my vids. He's had his ups and downs for sure, I like the offense, at times he has some issues in his own end but in the AHL to date I haven't seen him make any really poor defensive decisions like I saw in the NL and even those were rare. He's aggressive in jumping into the play as well as using his stick to defend. He's shown a little more on the physical side of things as he's no cream puff but still needs to learn to use his excellent frame to his advantage more.

Outside of any issues with the knee, I got to think he 100% sees NHL games next year at some point. But I have said since I started watching him that he is a lock for the NHL as players with his size, mobility, skating, two way game will always get looks in the NHL but especially as a 1st rounder. It's only been a question of how good will he be in time and for me that's still pretty wide open but he's looking like it shouldn't be too much of a reach to be a very solid 2nd pairing D on say a contending team or close to it.

As always? Thanks!!!

 

[slaffable]

I was watching Rocket yesterday and I really like Reinbacher game. I think he is a a kind of futur Hampus Lindholm. Safe defensively with and offensive touch.

He's good and smart but still very raw. Obviously covers a lot of ground but his knees look so vulnerable while he's skating, and I wince whenever he gets hit.

He had a lot of moments as well where he needed to be more decisive - he'd figure out the right play with the puck but often do it a half second too late. I think his timing will improve but I don't think he'll be top 4 next year from what I saw last night.

 

[SpeedyPotato]

There's a lot of him in my vids. He's had his ups and downs for sure, I like the offense, at times he has some issues in his own end but in the AHL to date I haven't seen him make any really poor defensive decisions like I saw in the NL and even those were rare. He's aggressive in jumping into the play as well as using his stick to defend. He's shown a little more on the physical side of things as he's no cream puff but still needs to learn to use his excellent frame to his advantage more.

Outside of any issues with the knee, I got to think he 100% sees NHL games next year at some point. But I have said since I started watching him that he is a lock for the NHL as players with his size, mobility, skating, two way game will always get looks in the NHL but especially as a 1st rounder. It's only been a question of how good will he be in time and for me that's still pretty wide open but he's looking like it shouldn't be too much of a reach to be a very solid 2nd pairing D on say a contending team or close to it.

Amazing post thank you!

 

[KevSkillz4]

I was watching Rocket yesterday and I really like Reinbacher game. I think he is a a kind of futur Hampus Lindholm. Safe defensively with and offensive touch.

Getting a Hampus Lindholm type of D at 5, that's great value. I think he can have the impact of a Noah Dobson aswell. Will see, but Reinbacher have very high potential.

 

[Maitz]

He kind of remind me Ekblad actually

 

[KevSkillz4]

He kind of remind me Ekblad actually

I like that comparison seriously !

 

[Jeune Poulet]

I saw him again two days ago and he hasn't progressed. He's just not trending in the right direction.

The tools are there but he doesn't use them and has absolutely no fire in him.

I'm also puzzled by the comparison to Ekblad and Dobson just above. I mean, WTF?

 

[DemidovSZN]

I saw him again two days ago and he hasn't progressed. He's just not trending in the right direction.

The tools are there but he doesn't use them and has absolutely no fire in him.

I'm also puzzled by the comparison to Ekblad and Dobson just above. I mean, WTF?

He’s definitely trending in the right direction and he also progressed. Those who watched all his games since he’s back this year and who watched him when he arrived in Laval last season could tell you the same.

2 games where he clearly isn’t 100% physically isn’t the reality of it.

 

[CheldishGamibno]

I saw him again two days ago and he hasn't progressed. He's just not trending in the right direction.

The tools are there but he doesn't use them and has absolutely no fire in him.

I'm also puzzled by the comparison to Ekblad and Dobson just above. I mean, WTF?

Dude came back from a knee injury and played only 14 games this year, don't you think your statement is a bit premature?

 

[Tyson]

Dude came back from a knee injury and played only 14 games this year, don't you think your statement is a bit premature?

Please stop using logic

 

[CzarDemidov]

I saw him again two days ago and he hasn't progressed. He's just not trending in the right direction.

The tools are there but he doesn't use them and has absolutely no fire in him.

I'm also puzzled by the comparison to Ekblad and Dobson just above. I mean, WTF?

Any game he plays this season is a bonus as far as I'm concerned.

You're entitled to state what you state, because he allegedly has not stood out but missing most of the season is a big part of the context. We'll see how he does next year!

 

[Andrei79]

Dude came back from a knee injury and played only 14 games this year, don't you think your statement is a bit premature?

Not only that but he's looked good in all but 2 games.

 

[canucklover123]

Dude came back from a knee injury and played only 14 games this year, don't you think your statement is a bit premature?

To be fair, so is saying Dobson, Ekblad comparison after 14 games.....


He's trending, we'll see what a full offseason does for him baring no injuries.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

It's easy to be negative and always right as a habs fan , I've been doing it for 20 years , barely ever been wrong , what I like about the Hughes regime is that I've regained the spark of hope when it comes to our development and prospects. I like what they've done with Slaf , and I like Reinbachers game , just need to pray to the injury gods with this one

 

[LaP]

I saw him again two days ago and he hasn't progressed. He's just not trending in the right direction.

The tools are there but he doesn't use them and has absolutely no fire in him.

I'm also puzzled by the comparison to Ekblad and Dobson just above. I mean, WTF?

He is 20 and mostly played in a relatively weak league for the 2nd weakest team in the league in Switzerland. He's not supposed to have progressed much. Progress is not a magic wand you need experience for it to happen.

 

[SpeedyPotato]

I saw him again two days ago and he hasn't progressed. He's just not trending in the right direction.

The tools are there but he doesn't use them and has absolutely no fire in him.

I'm also puzzled by the comparison to Ekblad and Dobson just above. I mean, WTF?

Haven’t seen the playoffs but he was quite dominant when I watched play at the end of the season, easily and by far the best D on Laval.

 

[Paddyjack]

To be fair, so is saying Dobson, Ekblad comparison after 14 games.....


He's trending, we'll see what a full offseason does for him baring no injuries.

Usually when I see people mentioning names like that for a rookie, I see it more like a way to express what they see he could become given his style of play, but that does not express how he plays right now. For example, if I say a player is similar to Bouchard, then you know the player is not a rude player like Xhekaj. Doesn't mean he is at the level of Bouchard for the moment.

 

[Habs]

Please stop using logic

Thumbsdown

 

[Tyson]

Thumbsdown

Care to elaborate?