David Reinbacher’s first taste of the season with the Montreal Canadiens came with a little bit of everything.
In Saturday night’s 4-3 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres, the rookie defenseman logged 9:09 and was noticeable in both directions. Most of the night, he looked steady enough, finishing with a couple of hits and handling his minutes without much trouble. But one mistake stood out sharply.
Reinbacher played a puck off the boards, only to send it into open ice. Buffalo jumped on the loose puck, and he wasn’t able to get in front of the shot before Josh Norris buried it.
Josh Norris opens the scoring in Montreal 🚨 pic.twitter.com/MPcBrxTM6X
- Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 17, 2026
That sort of sequence can feel loud in the NHL, especially for a young player just settling in. The game moves faster, the pressure arrives sooner, and small errors get exposed quickly. In that sense, it was a classic welcome-to-the-league moment.
Still, it’s important not to let one shift swallow the bigger picture. Reinbacher is 21, in his third NHL game, and the Canadiens still came away with the win. That makes the mistake easier to absorb than it would be for a veteran, even if it was the kind of play that would draw more heat from a more established player.
There’s also a reason Montreal handled his return carefully. He was brought in, but not thrown into heavy minutes.
That approach made sense, because it gave him a chance to get his feet under him without being overwhelmed. It also meant the Canadiens had to lean heavily on their top two defensive pairings, with Lane Hutson playing close to half the game.
That’s the balancing act here. Reinbacher needs reps, but not so many that the team is asking too much too soon.
He can’t sit idle, and he also can’t be shoved into 20 minutes a night before he’s ready. Saturday gave him a manageable runway, even after the rough moment.
And beyond that one sequence, the Canadiens’ defense was not pristine enough to leave him isolated as the lone issue. After the goal he gave up, Montreal still found a way to recover and win, helped by a strong penalty kill.
For now, that’s the real takeaway: one play won’t define David Reinbacher’s outlook. Nine minutes and change is too small a sample to decide much of anything.
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Dylan Larkin Just Gave Canadiens Fans A Reason To Revisit This Dream
Dylan Larkins name still has a way of lighting up the Bell Centre, and a recent visit by the Red Wings captain only fed that old Canadiens daydream a little more. Montreal fans gave him a notable reception, the kind that reminds everyone how easily a big-name center can become part of the citys ongoing wish list, especially when the organization is always looking for ways to upgrade down the middle.
Larkin didnt exactly pour cold water on the whole scene, either, praising the atmosphere in Montreal and calling it one of hockeys best arenas. Even so, the practical side of the story has not changed much, with Montreal not currently listed among the 10 teams on his reported trade request list and no deal anywhere near confirmed. For now, it is still more reminder than resolution, but it was enough to make Canadiens fans revisit a dream they know well. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Win Exposed A Sabres Problem Fans Have Seen Before
The Sabres have made a habit of flirting with disaster, and the latest example came in a 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal after Buffalo clawed its way back into the game. There are signs of progress in spots, with Jack Quinn, Josh Doan and Josh Norris all showing better form, but the bigger picture still looks familiar: too much inconsistency, too little clean defensive hockey, and not enough margin for error when the game tightens.
What has made the trend harder to ignore is how often Buffalo has had to lean on late rallies just to collect points. That approach can keep a team afloat for a night, but it is not a recipe for staying competitive over the long haul, especially when the margins are so thin in the standings. The Canadiens exposed that reality again, leaving the Sabres with another reminder that the comeback formula only works so many times before it catches up. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Came Shockingly Close To A Franchise What-If With Brett Hull
Brett Hull recently reopened one of the more fascinating what-ifs in Canadiens history, saying he was very close to signing with Montreal in 2001 before ending up in Detroit instead. The timing alone makes it intriguing for Canadiens fans, since Hull was still a proven scorer with a chance to alter the direction of the franchise, even if landing him would not have guaranteed instant contention.
On a podcast, Hull recounted the kind of recruiting pitch that makes these stories linger, including a conversation with Canadiens icon Jean Bliveau as Montreal tried to make its case. What tipped the balance away from the Canadiens was a late push from Detroit, and Hull wound up with the Red Wings, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2002 instead of becoming part of a very different Montreal chapter. [Read more 🡒]