The Montreal Canadiens got some bad news on a star young defenseman who’s vying for a roster spot.
On Sept. 26, the Canadiens announced that David Reinbacher is out for four weeks due to a broken metacarpal bone.
Reinbacher suffered a broken finger injury during the Canadiens’ blowout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept. 25. It’s a tough blow for the star young defenseman as he was trying to earn a roster spot this season.
The news also comes after Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said he was hopeful none of the injuries to Reinbacher, Noah Dobson, or Kaiden Guhle are serious.
“I don’t think it’s serious stuff, so I’m not too worried about it,” St. Louis said.
Reinbacher was selected fifth overall in the 2023 NHL Draft by Montreal. The young defenseman also suffered an injury in a preseason game against the Maple Leafs last year, as he had to undergo knee surgery and would miss five to six months.
Canadiens GM Wanted Reinbacher to Play a Full Season
Reinbacher was competing for a roster spot with the Canadiens this season, but the hope was that he would remain healthy.
Injuries have derailed the start of his career, and Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said the goal was for him to play a full year this season. But Hughes wasn’t ruling out being in the NHL or the AHL.
“Right-shot Ds don’t fall off trees. That’s why the cost of acquiring Noah Dobson was fairly significant,” Hughes said to The Athletic. “It allowed us to make that move. There’s only so many guys that can play in your top four. We’re hopeful that David gets a full season under his belt. Whether that’s starting in (AHL) Laval or starting in Montreal will be up to him. But we took him fifth overall because we really believed in what he has to offer, and we look forward to him being a big part.”
However, due to the injury, Reinbacher will miss the start of the season and will now likely begin the season in the AHL.
The right-shot defenseman will now focus on rehab and getting healthy to make an impact at the AHL level and perhaps play in the NHL later on in the season.
Montreal Focused on Making Playoffs
The Canadiens made the playoffs last season and are looking to build off that this year.
Montreal was active this offseason, and Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton says making the playoffs is just the first goal for the team.
“I don’t like the word failure,” Gorton said. “We all want the playoffs, we all want to keep moving forward. We’re trying to build something for a long period of time. I like our group; let’s see where it takes us. We’d be disappointed (to not make the playoffs). We want it, the players have been outspoken about that, I wouldn’t expect anything else.
“The players don’t want to hear ‘rebuild’ or anything like that, I understand that,” Gorton added. “The players are focused, they like their team, they like their group. You can see how tight-knit they are. They’re ready to go. I think 750 players in the League all think they’re making the playoffs, and our players are no different.”
Montreal opens its season on Oct. 8 against the Maple Leafs.
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