The Canadiens’ decision to send David Reinbacher to Laval is starting to look a lot less like a setback and a lot more like a development move.
According to Marco D’Amico, the demotion had nothing to do with Reinbacher’s camp performance. Instead, Montreal reportedly preferred Adam Engström for the short-term seventh-defenseman job, a role that would come with limited ice time. The thinking, as presented here, is simple: Reinbacher will get far more out of playing major minutes in Laval than sitting in a limited spot on the NHL roster.
That context changes the read on the move. Rather than viewing Reinbacher’s assignment as a negative assessment, it appears to be a choice based on what helps him most right now. A seventh-defenseman role in Montreal would not offer the same value as a top role in Laval.
Kaiden Guhle’s situation is also part of the picture. He is said to be skating very well in practice and seems only a few weeks away from returning to game action.
His comeback would reduce the need for Montreal to keep an extra defenseman on hand. Guhle is still working back from the minor surgery he had this summer, but his return now looks close.
That helps explain why Kent Hughes’ public praise of Reinbacher’s camp still fits the broader picture. If the organization expects Guhle back soon, then the short-term roster math makes more sense.
Reinbacher could still be recalled sooner rather than later if things change during the season. For now, though, the Canadiens appear to be choosing development over convenience.
In Other News...
Canadiens Make A Tough Early Call On David Reinbacher
The Canadiens final roster cuts brought a notable early-season decision on David Reinbacher, who will start the year with the Laval Rocket in the AHL. The former fifth-overall pick had a strong preseason, but Montreal is clearly taking the long view with a young defenseman whose development has already been shaped by injury history and a crowded battle for minutes on the blue line.
For now, Reinbacher should get the kind of heavy workload in Laval that can be harder to guarantee in Montreal, where the club had to balance roster spots, waiver concerns and its depth chart on defense. The door to the NHL is hardly closed, though, and if he keeps building through the season, the Canadiens are leaving themselves plenty of room to bring him back up when the timing makes sense. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Trade Interest Just Raised The Stakes For Kent Hughes
The Canadiens spent part of the summer exploring a bigger swing, with Frank Seravalli reporting that management had considered packaging Kirby Dach in a larger deal if it meant bringing immediate help back the other way. It was the kind of roster-thinking that makes sense for a team trying to accelerate its timeline, and it also showed how aggressively Kent Hughes has been willing to survey the market when there is a chance to reshape the lineup.
Montreal had Kirill Marchenko in mind as a possible target before he was moved to Toronto, which forced the Canadiens to keep searching for another path. The Edmonton Oilers also showed interest in Dach, but Hughes appears to be holding out for a more significant trade opening, leaving the next move tied to whether a better fit comes available. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Still Need One Big Piece As Trade Pressure Builds
The Canadiens have been searching for one more top-six forward as the season approaches, and the trade chatter around them is starting to sound less like background noise and more like a real deadline. Darren Dreger indicated that general manager Kent Hughes may still be working on a deal before opening night, with Montreals salary-cap flexibility giving it room to stay in the hunt for an impactful addition.
One name drawing attention is a right-shot winger from Columbus who brings proven scoring and a manageable cap hit at $3.85 million, along with the kind of production that would fit Montreals need for immediate help. The Blue Jackets have signaled they want a good player back and have also maintained he is not available, which leaves the Canadiens weighing how aggressive they want to be without emptying out the sort of assets they would prefer to keep off the table. [Read more 🡒]