Canadiens make major decision regarding 5th overall pick David Reinbacher

When the Canadiens took to the podium on the opening night of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, they opted to use their 5th round pick to select top-ranked defenseman David Reinbacher over forwards like Matvei Michkov or Ryan Leonard. This is the 2nd straight year that the Habs took a player whom many viewed to be the wrong selection. Last summer, as you'll recall, the Habs selected Juraj Slafkovsky over Logan Cooley, Simon Nemec or Shane Wright.

There was a lot of speculation coming into this pre-season as to what the Canadiens might opt to do with Reinbacher this season. They certainly had the option to keep him in North America, but following last night's 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Habs opted to return Reinbacher to HC Kloten in the Swiss-A League.

Reinbacher posted 22 points in 46 games last season with HC Kloten in his 18-year-old season. Sending him back to build on that success for his 19-year-old season may not be a poor decision - especially if he takes a step there this year in a system that he's more comfortable with.

There were a large number of Canadiens fans who were upset that Habs GM Kent Hughes did not select Michkov with the 5th overall pick. This led to a number of fans harassing Reinbacher on social media, which is certainly questionable behaviour. All signs point towards Reinbacher being a quality young defender with a bright future. It's not his fault the Habs chose him over Michkov.

The volatility of the Montreal market probably makes it a wise decision to have returned Reinbacher to the Swiss-A League. It ensures that he gets to round out his game and continue to develop in a much less hostile market. Then, when he comes back to camp next fall, perhaps the temperature will have come down a bit and he can focus on the hockey, rather than all of the noise. It's not easy to be a young player in a demanding market, after all.