Ah, David Reinbacher. The poor kid has never had a chance since he heard his name on the microphone, at 5th overall in the 2023 draft.
Today, TSN is back: in its annual ranking of the Canadian’s under-24s, Reinbacher finds himself 10th.
Yes, 10th, behind guys like Michael Hage, Logan Mailloux and Joshua Roy.
And we’re talking about the guy Kent Hughes chose instead of Matvei Michkov.
The justification is starting to take a long time.
Let’s start again. Reinbacher didn’t ask for anything.
He wasn’t the one who raised his hand to be drafted 5th.
Nor was he the one who made promises that he would become a generational defender.
He played his hockey in Switzerland, calmly, without pressure. Then, boom. The CH decides to choose him, and suddenly, all the spotlights in Montreal are focused on him.
And what does that give?
An impossible expectation to satisfy and a kid caught in a whirlwind that he didn’t cause.
Because, let’s be clear, if Reinbacher had been drafted 10th or 12th, everyone would applaud his quiet development.
But no, we took him 5th, and with that, we started a storm.
And why? Because he is not Michkov.
Because he is not this flamboyant player that we imagined adding to Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
Reinbacher is solid, yes. But it’s not sexy. And in Montreal, if it’s not sexy, it’s bad.
And there, TSN gives us one more reason to raise our eyebrows.
How can a player drafted that high be 10th in his own prospect bank?
A bank which, by the way, is ranked number one in the league.
The message is clear: Reinbacher is a good player, but in an elite group, he is at the bottom of the list.
A collapse that even the most optimistic will find difficult to explain.
But that’s not all.
If TSN places it so low, it is perhaps also because the environment created by the CH did not help.
By selecting him so early, by putting him under immediate pressure, we forced him to measure up to excessive expectations.
Result ? The supporters quickly lost patience, and Reinbacher became, despite himself, the symbol of a controversial decision.
So, yes, there is still time.
Yes, Reinbacher can still prove that he deserves his place.
But for now, Kent Hughes needs to explain.
Why did you put this young person in such a position?
Why did you ignore Mishkov? And above all, why this strategy which seems, once again, to come back to haunt the organization?
David Reinbacher is not a bad player.
He’s even good.
But when you’re drafted 5th overall and find yourself 10th in your own prospect bank, the question is no longer whether you’re good.
The question is why you are here.
And that question only Kent Hughes can answer.
Misery …
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