Prospect Info: David Reinbacher

[Nedved]

The bottom line was there was high certainty with Reinbacher and low certainty with Michkov.

Clearly certainty was important to them as it should be.

I mean, he almost blew his knee out at the world championship this summer, so I would say there's no certainty. Just potential.

I draft could be total Kakko, I mean KK, I mean poopoo

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

How is it not a good sign? It is a good sign.. Issuing a problem early stages before coming to the nhl?
it's not a huge issue at all.

Prediction for potential is just so blackscreen for each players that are drafted after 1-2 or 1-3 range as far as i'm concerned.

You find normal, the fact that the team who scouted Reinbacher the whole year, who has incentive to hype him up, because they passed on a probable superstar in Michkov, tells you that if everything goes well, he will be a #2D, who can't run the powerplay ? I don't... He may develop beyond expectations, but it's not a good sign.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

The bottom line was there was high certainty with Reinbacher and low certainty with Michkov.

Clearly certainty was important to them as it should be.

Certainty in a position of clear need.

When you look at championship D-rosters and you look at what we have now and in the pipe, it’s not hard to picture us being an insanely difficult team to beat in the playoffs.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

They were entertaining trade offers until right before they picked, they weren't going to come out and say they weren't taking a guy but it was as transparent as all hell they weren't taking Michkov.

Based on Mich not wanting to talk to certain teams, the talk of him wanting to go to Philly, the fact that nobody had really seen much of him live and the lack of control over his development I can see why teams were nervous.

Last year I said I’d take the risk on Wright. This year I’d have done it on Mich. Habs went the other way both times. Hopefully I turn out wrong on both counts.

Again, I’d never claim to be the expert here. I don’t watch the juniors (I have less and less time even for NHL games) and only go by what I’ve read and highlights- so I’m not an authority by any stretch.

But I do believe in the philosophy of drafting elite talent and taking some risks. We went the boring route this year. I get it - he WILL stabilize things. But man it’s frustrating not having a scoring star.

 

[ottawa]

This prospect, pegged as a truly elite forward, got 20 points in 30 KHL games as a rookie with lots of TOI and PP time.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi, seven months YOUNGER than Michkov, got 29 points in 57 games as a rookie in the Liiga with 11:30 of TOI per game and little PP time

Alex Galchenyuk, nine months older than Michkov but having missed one full year of development, got 27 points in 48 games in the NHL with 12:19 TOI per game.

The NHL is often not kind to talented players without an extra gear to beat the best defenders in the world with, and maybe also without the inner hunger to compete and drive 24/7. And to top it off, Michkov is way smaller than those two talented players drafted at 3-OA.

Imagine comparing those leagues to the KHL lol

KHL isn't a development just like the NHL, if you don't perform you sit or get sent down. 20 points in 30 games is impressive.

For reference, look at the stats Ovi put up before being drafted.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

I mean either they were signaling they passing on Michkov or they weren’t. But come draft day, everything must have been pretty clear, even Briere said publicly their attempts to trade up failed. Reinbacher was clearly the target and was going to be the pick at 5. Might as well brace a fan base that had worked themselves into a frenzy for Michkov.

I thought I read somewhere that the Yotes went and see Reinbacher 27 times or something like that. Huge odds he was their pick.

 

[Twisted Sinister]

I totally remember that name! I don't remember everyone defending them though. I certainly did though. lol. I felt like it was me and 3 other posters.
I was an eternal optimist. Still am in a way. I usually just don't let my more negative thoughts about the org be known too much on boards. I try and keep it fun for myself. And I don't take the Habs as seriously as most others do.

Now you could say that's a bad bias to have in my judgement of Reinbacher BUT like I said I wanted him well before he was drafted. One of the more vocal advocates.

Well it depends. Was NYR McDonagh a true #1? Now my player comparable are horrible and I didn't follow him that much when he was our prospect but I'd venture to say that Reinbacher might have better offensive tools than McDo but not quite as good defensively. I think they might be similar-ish. Not high end offence but solid enough with great D.

I heard Hedman-lite. People were talking about his point totals being comparable to Josi. I haven't heard Pronger. But yeah these are huge names and I don't think Reinbacher has that kind of potential. I don't think we're talking perennial Norris candidate here. But with such strong D prospects around him he could be the best of the bunch.

I can always be wrong. I just think a LOT has to go wrong for his floor to not be very high. He does way too many things right at such a young age against grown men. To produce how he did and to be as physical as he was and smart with the puck and so disruptive in the D zone and as mobile and and and. That's a high floor D all day long.

I'd have to go see Nurse's pre-draft highlights. Reinbacher's offensive IQ is damn good he's just not uber creative. I personally don't think you have to be a puck wizard to be a #1. He's a great passer. Great stretch passes. So efficient in transition. I just think these type of D men are so projectable.

If I'm horribly off about him. You'll be the first to know lol. I'll take my licks. I'm confident in my opinions but I'm not too married to them anymore. If I'm wrong I'm wrong. It's fine.

I just think all in all people want him to be flashier and people should just admit that lol. That's fine and if I was a betting man on whether he'd be a #2 or a #1, #2 would probably be the safer bet. I'm not saying he's a lock as a #1 but I believe the upside is there.

Haha yeah, it wasn't everyone. Was about 50/50. You were always respectful though.

I always try to start off neutral towards a new management team... And then someone hires Michel Therrien or trades PK Subban for reasons that have nothing to do with hockey and everything goes off the rails

I think Reinbacher is better than McDonagh in some ways and worse than others. His ceiling is actually higher imo. Hedman is definitely a pretty huge reach though. Hedman is a 6'7" game-changing beast that's good at everything. He might be the most complete D in the league. The best comparable I heard for Reinbacher is actually Hampus Lindholm or, again, good (hopefully) version of Darnell Nurse (back when he was in Junior and actually looked good).

Again, I just find super-high-end offense is much harder to find than that type of defenseman. Michkov is a 1OA talent. Mobile defensemen are often available in the draft and there are many of them in the top 15 next year.

Absolutely fans have the right to an opinion, when the opinion is pitchfork worthy just done expect players to want to come play in this market or ask why they don’t want to sign here / waive their NTCs, because players have options south of the border….

They can get paid equivalent or much higher, better weather and as Villardi said this week fans in large US markets show up to the games and allow a player total anonymity on the street.

This is absolutely why any venom should be specifically directed at the organization and not the players. As I've said before, the best thing anyone can do is vote with their wallet and eyeballs. And voice their dissatisfaction respectfully. And call out any PR that's trying to gaslight and shame you over your opinion.

That said, players don't really want to come here anyway. As happened with Slaf, fans generally accept someone regardless of how disappointed they are. Reinbacher won't be booed.

 

[Rapala]

He isn’t.

There was one report by Nicolishin. A bunch of people used his report but I haven’t seen anyone else corroborate it.

No one really.

He is just a guy that got picked instead of the better talent in a city that hasn’t had talent like Michkov in over 30 + years.

Pressure is doubled though.

//

Lapointe, at minimum, has to go.

The scouting staff picked Reinbacher because he is a “safer” pick (that comes with lower ceiling) because Slafkovsky had a bad year and they were scared to have two top pick in a row bust. That’s the only way you can explain the unanimous votes.

Seriously? No one for Leonard, no one for Michkov, no one for Dvorsky? No one for Benson? No one for Sandin-Pellika? No one to trade down and get assets? If that is true, something is BS.

A team of yes-men is complete BS. No wonder they draft the way they have drafted for years. Lapointe should be fired immediately.

Wow this is a stretch. It's like you think they sat down two days ago and took a vote and they all came up Reinbacher.
It's a process and it starts the minute a scout(s) start watching a Kid. Hughes told us exactly how it would work and everyone would have their input.
There is no way in hell they all started with Reinbacher as the guy. Like on a jury you can't find a person guilty until everyone agrees. Over the entire length of the process the scouts all came around to the belief that this was the guy. It's really not as far fetched as you make it out to be.

 

[GHJimmy]

You find normal, the fact that the team who scouted Reinbacher the whole year, who has incentive to hype him up, because they passed on a probable superstar in Michkov, tells you that if everything goes well, he will be a #2D, who can't run the powerplay ? I don't... He may develop beyond expectations, but it's not a good sign.

But how well do we know these translates perfectly into NHL? Like Yakupov, superstar. Then why wasn't michkov picked earlier? if the potential to be a superstar is there, other teams shouldn't have misssed that. Also please let me know when you find another potential super star in the draft non other top 10.

 

[red devil]

As far as I’m aware, there’s actually no evidence that it was the Habs that asked that question….

Hughes was interviewed by Friedman right before the draft started. Friedman mentioned how the Habs had some of the most unique questions and asked for an example. Hughes brought up the question about submarines.

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

But how well do we know these translates perfectly into NHL? Like Yakupov, superstar. Then why wasn't michkov picked earlier then? if the potential to be a superstar is there, other teams shouldn't have misssed that. Also please let me know when you find another potential super star in the draft non other top 10.

We are not talking about a Joe Blow prediction, we are talking about professionals who dissected his action for a full year. They can be wrong, but it's not a good sign.

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

Based on Mich not wanting to talk to certain teams, the talk of him wanting to go to Philly, the fact that nobody had really seen much of him live and the lack of control over his development I can see why teams were nervous.

Last year I said I’d take the risk on Wright. This year I’d have done it on Mich. Habs went the other way both times. Hopefully I turn out wrong on both counts.

Again, I’d never claim to be the expert here. I don’t watch the juniors (I have less and less time even for NHL games) and only go by what I’ve read and highlights- so I’m not an authority by any stretch.

But I do believe in the philosophy of drafting elite talent and taking some risks. We went the boring route this year. I get it - he WILL stabilize things. But man it’s frustrating not having a scoring star.

i think thats bullshit maybe the Flyers just showed the biggest interest but why would Michkov prefer Philly ? i can buy Washington because of Ovechkin but Flyers have nothing interesting for a young russian superstar to prefer Philadelphia over other cities

 

[pepperMonkey]

To make us feel better about missing out on Michkov,

Yakupov scored 18 pts in 22 khl games in his d+1
Tolvanen scored 36 pts in 49 khl games in his d+1

Yakupov is a bust and Tolvanen has been a big disappointment

Again, who's giving coping arguments? If anything, I was arguing that we, HF fans wanted Brule, not Kopitar (well, okay, there were a rare few...).

 

[Genghis Keon]

It's getting better and better, imagine drafting a player that high and expecting a #2D, who can't run the powerplay... Is that supposed to give fans confidence in that pick ?

You can find the full clip in the article here: www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/canadiens-hughes-confident-reinbacher-will-make-his-name-unforgettable-in-montreal/

Hughes follows up by saying he's not big on putting numbers on players. "There's a powerplay defenseman--is he your #1? Or is somebody that's shutting the play down on one end and then launching the attack on the other end? So I think he has potential to log significant minutes for our team."

In an ideal world, if Hutson isn't running our powerplay, what value does he have have? Presumably he won't be playing big tough minutes. So let Hutson do his thing on the powerplay and let Reinbacher hopefully be our Pietrangelo everywhere else.

 

[SlafySZN]

Imagine if all of Dach, Slaf, Roy, and Beck reach their ceiling level? Dach and Slaf can be stars and that is not a massive reach. Roy and Beck could be top 6 assets. Also not a reach. Nothing is sure shot but I think the key is these 4 up front.

Oh, yes for sure.

If Dach and Slaf totally break out next year then i agree but i assumed they would still take some time to.

 

[FF de Mars]

seen like the new regime that’s exactly like the old regime: lower standards every year and manage expectations… and scold the fans for bristling at their galaxy brain moves.

Seems like they took a bet on Reinbacher, the safe choice would have been Michkov.

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

Many here don't understand that talent evaluators are looking at where these kids will be in 3-5 years rather than what they have done over the last 2-3 years. I have heard several analysts mention that Reinbacher is known amongst teams as being an extremely quick learner which has contributed to his meteoric rise this season to the point where he was a minutes eater and offensive contributor in a strong men's league. This ability to learn and process quickly is strongly correlated with future progress for these kids.

You think our scouting staff did not account for that when they made their prediction about his ceiling ? Come on...

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

i think thats bullshit maybe the Flyers just showed the biggest interest but why would Michkov prefer Philly ? i can buy Washington because of Ovechkin but Flyers have nothing interesting for a young russian superstar to prefer Philadelphia over other cities

I heard it from two credible sources yesterday. Friedman and Wyshinski both said this to be the case.

Think about it for a second. Mich probably knew he wasn’t top four. So that leaves Montreal, Arizona and then Philly. NOBODY wants to play in Arizona and he probably wanted American cash. So he lets it known he wants to go to Philly.

That makes sense to me.

 

[Saxon]

Hughes was interviewed by Friedman right before the draft started. Friedman mentioned how the Habs had some of the most unique questions and asked for an example. Hughes brought up the question about submarines.

Reinbacher just started yelling “GET TO THE CHOPPA!”

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Oh, yes for sure.

If Dach and Slaf totally break out next year then i agree but i assumed they would still take some time to.

Let’s not forget Newhook.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

We are not talking about a Joe Blow prediction, we are talking about professionals who dissected his action for a full year. They can be wrong, but it's not a good sign.

Those professionals are very high on Reinbacher. They think he has the potential to be as good as the players he outplayed in his draft year: Josi, Heiskanen, Seider, Jiricek.

Hughes answered the question wrong. Stop focusing on that and focus on this amazing player the Habs drafted.

 

[HabzSauce]

You find normal, the fact that the team who scouted Reinbacher the whole year, who has incentive to hype him up, because they passed on a probable superstar in Michkov, tells you that if everything goes well, he will be a #2D, who can't run the powerplay ? I don't... He may develop beyond expectations, but it's not a good sign.

I wouldn't take those words too seriously. They clearly like him alot.

PR is part of the job. They're just managing expectations for the fans AND for the player himself.

Imagine Hugo told everyone "yea we see him as the next Lidstrom" lmao

 

[BaseballCoach]

Imagine comparing those leagues to the KHL lol

KHL isn't a development just like the NHL, if you don't perform you sit or get sent down. 20 points in 30 games is impressive.

For reference, look at the stats Ovi put up before being drafted.

For Galch I compared NHL to KHL: Which is stronger?

 

[The Great Weal]

Certainty in a position of clear need.

When you look at championship D-rosters and you look at what we have now and in the pipe, it’s not hard to picture us being an insanely difficult team to beat in the playoffs.

Right but how far can we go without a stud #1 forward, #1 dman, AND #1 goalie?

 

[ReHabs]

I heard it from two credible sources yesterday. Friedman and Wyshinski both said this to be the case.

Think about it for a second. Mich probably knew he wasn’t top four. So that leaves Montreal, Arizona and then Philly. NOBODY wants to play in Arizona and he probably wanted American cash. So he lets it known he wants to go to Philly.

That makes sense to me.

It could be Montreal didn't express any interest in him. Doesn't seem like they had any interest in Michkov -- given their tone, posture, and so on.