David Reinbacher, un choix qui saura surprendre

NASHVILLE – For all those who are disappointed with the Montreal Canadiens’ selection of David Reinbacher at the fifth overall pick, his Quebec teammate, Éric Faille, took it upon himself to explain his potential and didn’t hesitate to compare him to none other than Roman Josi.

“That’s why I’m speaking to the media, to say that they made the right choice, in my opinion,” Faille said confidently.

Shortly before the start of the draft, we asked Faille, who has played with Reinbacher for two seasons with HC Kloten in Switzerland, for his opinion if the Canadiens ended up drafting him.

When the scenario materialized, we passed the interview on to our colleagues from the show Sur Jasé so as not to miss our interviews with Kent Hughes, Reinbacher, his coach, and his general manager at Bridgestone Arena.

It’s safe to say that Faille had several arguments to defend his teammate who is 15 years younger than him.

“David is a guy who came out of nowhere two years ago and every year he made big advances. Now he’s a fifth overall pick, so his potential is extremely high,” noted the former highly productive forward for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan from 2006-2007 to 2009-2010.

Faille doesn’t hesitate to mention Josi’s name in the conversation.

“He scored more points than Josi in his first year in the same league. That’s something. He’s a complete player, with a good first pass, checks, offensive flair, and good skating ability,” described the 33-year-old athlete.

When asked to compare Reinbacher to an NHL player, he maintained the parallel with Josi.

“He has the potential to become a defenseman like him, he played big minutes at 18,” he supported.

By giving a more detailed portrait of this defenseman who was unknown a few months ago, Faille has a specific goal in mind.

“That’s why I have to say it. I hope that all those who wrote negative comments about him will regret their words and that he will prove his worth,” said the Quebecois player.

Several scouts find that Reinbacher is solid in several aspects, but they are not impressed by his offensive potential. Thus, it is mentioned in various places that he does not have the assets of a Moritz Seider.

“I will say the opposite. David was in charge of our power play and he was 18 years old. He played against 25-30-year-old adults. He became our best defenseman, and no one was talking about him at the beginning of the year, no one knew him. Everyone was talking about Michkov, Fantilli, Bedard,” he added.

Considering his fascinating evolution, Faille believes that the skater from Hohenems, Austria can establish himself as a power play quarterback in the NHL.

“When he arrived, he was a bit shy. Slowly but surely, he took his place, and by the end of the year, he was confident with the puck and knew what to do. I see him on a top pairing in the NHL, he can be the quarterback of the power play, I see his potential at 100%.”

Based on his rapid progress, Faille believes he could play in the NHL as early as next season.

David Reinbacher“I think he’s ready for the NHL because he played in a men’s league and held his own. I know it’s a big leap, but he has taken big steps in recent years, and I’m pretty sure he will continue in that direction,” commented Faille, while Reinbacher would like to return to Switzerland for another season and the option of the Laval Rocket will also be considered.

We understand that Reinbacher lost some points with certain teams in interviews, but the Canadiens loved his personality.

“I saw some criticism of his interviews, as if he didn’t really feel like it. But he is humble and down-to-earth, that’s why,” explained Faille, as that was exactly the impression felt when talking to him after his selection.

Faille also finds that Reinbacher is much more mature than he could be at his age. Both players helped HC Kloten climb to the top division in Switzerland this year.

Reinbacher sees himself on Lane Hutson’s right side

Let’s go back to Josi for a moment because Reinbacher was overwhelmed to have been able to speak with him before the draft.

“I was very impressed. To be 100% honest, I even had a tear in my eye seeing him, he’s my idol. I try to draw inspiration from his game. It was wonderful,” confided the kind young man.

Another name that thrilled Reinbacher is Lane Hutson.

“He had a great goal against us in the World Championship. I’m really looking forward to playing with him,” recalled Reinbacher, who fortunately was not one of the two defensemen embarrassed by Hutson on that goal, and he would like to become his partner on the blue line.

“Of course, that would be wonderful. Since he’s a lefty, it would be a perfect combination. I think it’s just a matter of time and we’ll see what the team decides,” he responded.

If he maintains his humility at 18, Reinbacher showed his competitive side when asked if he wanted to prove that he deserved to be the first defenseman selected in this class.

“That’s a big motivation for me, I want to show that it was the right decision to choose me as the first defenseman,” concluded the six-foot-two athlete who wants to complete his studies, even if it means doing them virtually from Canada.