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David Reinbacher would be worth his weight in gold
The Canadiens are in a good position when it comes to defense, with very talented young defensemen who will form the top 4 of the future.
Among them, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, Kaiden Guhle, and David Reinbacher stand out. This is shaping up to be a very solid top 4 in the NHL.
While the circumstances surrounding Reinbacher's selection are somewhat unclear, considering that the Canadiens clearly needed a forward and Matvei Michkov was available, it's important not to jump to conclusions too quickly.
The 2023 draft was different from the 2024 draft, with a wealth of talented forwards available. This year, defensemen are in the spotlight. Macklin Celebrini will undoubtedly be the first pick, but the rest is very unpredictable.
According to experts, defensemen Artyom Levshunov and Anton Silayev are expected to be part of the top 5, along with forward Ivan Demidov and, of course, Celebrini.
According to expert Simon Boisvert (Snake), Reinbacher would be the second-best defenseman in the draft, just behind Levshunov.
"I think Artyom Levshunov would definitely go before David Reinbacher if he were eligible this year. As for the others, it depends, it's a matter of preference. For me, I would take Levshunov before Reinbacher, I wouldn't take Anton Silayev before Reinbacher, I wouldn't take Zayne Parekh before Reinbacher, I would think twice about Zeev Buium, and I'm not sure about Sam Dickinson. So I would say that Levshunov is the only one I consider really better than Reinbacher."
This suggests that David Reinbacher would have been selected earlier than the 5th overall pick in a draft year considered excellent for defensemen. It's very interesting, and it sheds light on Kent Hughes' decision.
That being said, only time will tell if Hughes and his scouting team made the right decision in choosing the Austrian defenseman, but Reinbacher could be worth a lot more than we currently think.
| POLL | ||
MAI 15 | 331 ANSWERS David Reinbacher would be worth his weight in gold Do you think David Reinbacher will become a cornerstone of the Canadiens' defense? | ||
| Yes | 242 | 73.1 % |
| No | 89 | 26.9 % |
| List of polls | ||