The Montreal Canadiens no longer look like a team measuring success by energy alone. With the top of the lineup taking shape, the bigger question around this club has shifted toward something far less flashy and a lot more important: who gives this roster its backbone?
That’s where David Reinbacher and Florian Xhekaj come in. One is pressing to become a fixture on defense, the other is trying to force his way into the bottom six. Together, they point to a Canadiens team that is trying to become more than just skilled - it is trying to become harder to play against.
Reinbacher’s case starts on the blue line, where his arrival changes the picture for Martin St. Louis’ defence corps.
When Montreal took him fifth overall, the conversation centered on what he wasn’t, since he did not fit the mold of a flashy offensive force. But the more time passes, the more his game looks built for meaningful minutes.
After injury-riddled seasons of development, Reinbacher now brings a physical, highly mobile style that mirrors Kaiden Guhle on the left side. With Guhle out, Reinbacher is the most obvious candidate to step into a full-time role. Guhle had become Montreal’s standard on defense when healthy, using his long stick to disrupt rushes, closing space with force, and making life miserable around the net.
Reinbacher offers that kind of presence on the right side. He stands 6-foot-3, is now over 200 pounds, and has the kind of mobility that lets him keep up with speed, win board battles, and move the puck out cleanly with a first pass. A strong training camp this September only helped his chances of making the roster.
If Montreal can count on both Guhle and Reinbacher for top-four minutes, the entire feel of the defense changes. Instead of leaning so heavily on dynamic, riskier puck movers to survive, the Canadiens could have a group capable of grinding down heavy Atlantic Division forechecks over an 84-game schedule.
The same kind of shift is happening up front with Florian Xhekaj, whose push for a roster spot is reshaping what the fourth line could look like. It is tempting to view him only through the lens of his older brother, Arber, but that misses what he brings as a forward.
As Eric Engels noted in Sportsnet’s profile of Xhekaj’s relentless drive and resolve, he is a 6-foot-4 menace who plays with a fearlessness and unpredictability that makes him an intimidating opponent.
That matters because Montreal’s fourth line during the rebuild often functioned as little more than a place to park low-event minutes. Xhekaj can turn that role into something more aggressive. He brings pressure, physicality, and a willingness to finish every hit along the boards.
Placed on a line with a detail-oriented player like Phillip Danault, or eventually with a speedy young centre who can also play wing in Owen Beck, Xhekaj could change the tone of a game. He has hands around the crease, enough foot speed to keep pace, and the kind of edge that can turn a fourth line into a real problem. A unit that can pin teams in their own end, throw heavy checks, and chip in secondary scoring does more than survive - it changes what the bench can ask of everyone else.
That is the larger story for Montreal now. This is no longer just a young, fast team that can be pushed around when the game gets heavy.
With Reinbacher and Xhekaj pushing into bigger roles, Kent Hughes and Martin St. Louis are building a roster that pairs skill with snarl.
That gives Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky room to drive the offense while knowing there is structure and physical accountability behind them. The talent will always draw the attention, but if the Canadiens are going to grow from an entertaining young team into a genuine Stanley Cup contender, it will be because players like Reinbacher and Xhekaj helped build the kind of depth that makes the whole operation sturdier.
In Other News...
Kirby Dach Is Giving Canadiens Fans A Reason To Worry
Kirby Dach arrived at Canadiens training camp with plenty still hanging in the balance, and so far the early returns have done little to settle anyone's nerves. The forward has looked short on energy, and that has only sharpened the questions around where he fits in Montreal right now, especially as the club tries to sort out its lineup and determine which players are ready to embrace their roles.
Martin St-Louis, as usual, has chosen restraint over public pressure, sticking to a player-first approach instead of airing concerns in front of the cameras. Still, the situation around Dach is a reminder that talent alone does not guarantee traction, and Montreal has seen enough once-promising players drift into frustration to know how quickly these storylines can turn. For Dach, the next stretch is about proving the effort matches the opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face A Kirill Marchenko Decision They Can't Let Drag Out
Kirill Marchenkos name is already moving through the rumor mill, and that alone makes him worth watching for a Canadiens team that is always keeping tabs on young scoring talent. Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos has linked Montreal, along with Toronto and Edmonton, to the Columbus winger, who is reportedly interested in leaving the Blue Jackets even though no official trade request has been confirmed.
The timing matters because Marchenko is heading into the final year of his deal with Columbus, which only sharpens the pressure on the Blue Jackets to sort out their plan sooner rather than later. For Montreal, it adds another potential target to a market where proven offense is rarely easy to find, and the longer this situation hangs there, the more it feels like a decision other teams will be waiting to pounce on. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Trade Pursuit Could Reshape Their Center Plan Fast
Montreals search for help down the middle may be getting more aggressive than a typical summer check-in. A report from Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet says the Canadiens have interest in Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele as they look to strengthen their center depth, a pursuit that speaks to how seriously the front office is evaluating the position ahead of next season.
Scheifele would not be a short-term patch, either, with a deal that runs through 2030-31 and a recent season that reminded everyone why he remains such an attractive target. Any conversation of this sort naturally turns to what Montreal would have to move the other way, and the names floating around underline the kind of price the Canadiens may need to consider if they want to change their center picture quickly. [Read more 🡒]