David Reinbacher was already in the mix for a roster spot this preseason, but Kaiden Guhle’s injury has made the path clearer.
With Guhle expected to miss 4-5 weeks after offseason surgery, the Canadiens suddenly have one less defenseman in the picture and one more opening to sort through. On paper, that makes Reinbacher the obvious beneficiary. The numbers game gets simpler when there’s another job to hand out.
The wrinkle is that Guhle’s absence does more than just open a seat. It also changes how Montreal can line up its defense, and that may matter just as much for Reinbacher’s chances.
Guhle is a left-shot defenseman, and Martin St. Louis has often used him on his natural side.
Last season, though, he also spent time on the right, including beside lefties like Arber Xhekaj and Lane Hutson. Hutson, who is viewed as the Canadiens’ arguable most valuable player, was frequently pushed to his off side because of the team’s left-side congestion.
That setup may now be forced to change. With Guhle out, Hutson can be played on his natural side, which has long been seen as the better fit for him.
The Canadiens had already gone that route at the end of the playoffs, when St. Louis moved Hutson to the left and paired him with Noah Dobson on the right.
Dobson was Montreal’s major offseason addition from last summer, brought in to replace the retiring David Savard and then some. He spent most of his time on the right of Mike Matheson, but the Canadiens also left open the possibility of using Dobson and Hutson together as a true top pair. That option became more real late in the season, especially after Dobson broke his thumb in Game 80.
That injury helped open the door for Reinbacher, the No. 5 pick in 2023, to make his NHL debut. He appeared in his first two NHL games, while Xhekaj got the nod in the playoffs on his off side in limited minutes until Dobson returned in Game 7 of Round 1. That leaves Xhekaj as a possible short-term answer now, particularly because he and Guhle are both lefties.
But the Canadiens’ expectations for Reinbacher go beyond that. Xhekaj may see more regular work in the near term, but the bigger opportunity appears to belong to Reinbacher.
This is the kind of opening Montreal should want to give him. The team is moving into the next phase of its climb toward legitimate Stanley Cup contention, and the margin for waiting on development is shrinking. In a crowded Atlantic Division where three points separated the top three teams and five teams finished among the league’s top nine overall, every game matters more.
If the Canadiens want Reinbacher to take the next step, this is the chance. And if Hutson is going to be paired with a right-shot partner on his natural side, Reinbacher makes sense there too. Their styles are complementary, and the idea is simple: more reps together should help Reinbacher, which should help the team.
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Arber Xhekajs Deal Puts His Canadiens Future Under A Brighter Spotlight
Arber Xhekajs new deal with the Canadiens has put his place in the organization under a sharper lens, especially after a season in which his playing time was limited. Nicolas Cloutier reported that the one-year contract was not a mandate from Montreal, but a choice made by Xhekaj and his agent after weighing their options through the summer.
The thinking, as described in the report, was to wait and see whether a trade might thin out the competition on Montreals blue line, with other contract lengths also discussed along the way. For Xhekaj, the path ahead is fairly clear even if the stakes are high: a stronger season would give him much more leverage next time around, and the Canadiens will be watching closely to see whether he can seize the opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Trade Watch Just Got More Interesting With Kirill Marchenko
Kirill Marchenko has suddenly become one of the more intriguing names to watch as the trade chatter around Montreal keeps building. The Columbus forward reportedly told general manager Don Waddell he would give his best effort on the ice this season, but he stopped short of promising any long-term future with the club, which is hardly the kind of answer that settles a market already paying close attention.
A pending unrestricted free agent status always invites speculation, and the noise only grew louder after Marchenko was absent from a team event. A last-minute meeting with Waddell followed, but it did not appear to clear up much, leaving plenty of room for teams like the Canadiens to keep monitoring where this is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Chance In Winnipegs Goalie Drama
The unexpected turbulence in Winnipeg has created a ripple effect that could reach Montreal, where Kent Hughes is always alert to opportunities if a situation gets complicated enough. The Jets entered camp expecting their crease to be a settled strength, but the tone changed quickly once the goaltending picture was thrown off course, turning what looked like an ordinary preseason storyline into something much more delicate.
For the Canadiens, the intrigue is less about immediate certainty than about whether this kind of opening can lead to a real conversation down the line. Winnipeg general manager Kevin Chevaldayoff is expected to address the media soon, and until the Jets clarify how they plan to handle the situation, every possible path remains in play for teams watching from the outside, Montreal included. [Read more 🡒]