2026-27 Montreal Canadiens discussion thread

[tomh009]

Does that font have some historical connection? 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

18 hours ago, tomh009 said:

Does that font have some historical connection? 

 

Not to my limited knowledge. I think it looks cool, though.

[DON]

Late start for Davie, compared to top d-picks.

 

How Canadiens’ David Reinbacher, Oliver Kapanen personify state of the rebuild - The Athletic

...

Of those 11, only two — Juolevi and Makar — had not played a full NHL season by his 21st birthday. Juolevi was a bust for the Vancouver Canucks, but Makar was obviously the opposite of a bust and a sign that it might not be too late for Reinbacher. If you expand the scope to defencemen picked in the top 10 over those same 10 drafts, you get a list of 25 defencemen, and still, the only three on that list not to have played a full NHL season by their 21st birthday in addition to Juolevi and Makar are Haydn Fleury, Simon Edvinsson and Brandt Clarke, which means 80 percent of those defencemen taken in the top-10 had established themselves in the NHL by the time they were Reinbacher’s age.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Interesting 

 

Every player wants to play…Eh Mr. Gallagher?

 

 

Three year deal sounds right for Bolduc. He has a couple of very good tools but let’s see

[GHT120]

For what little it is worth, if anything, ClickBait30 says:

According to Grant McCagg, who discussed the situation on the HabsCast podcast with Liam Maguire, the Canadiens have offered Xhekaj a spot on the forward line next season.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

1 hour ago, GHT120 said:

For what little it is worth, if anything, ClickBait30 says:

According to Grant McCagg, who discussed the situation on the HabsCast podcast with Liam Maguire, the Canadiens have offered Xhekaj a spot on the forward line next season.

 

I have always wanted to see that experiment. Not sure if Arber is crazy about it but he would likely get in more games and could also serve as an emergency back up #6 D if someone got hurt during the game. 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Arber would be an interesting experiment at forward. He can skate at ok speeds going north south but his pivot speed is terrible which Dmen use a great deal. 
 

Who would he play with? 🤔

 

Anderson - Danault - Xhekaj

 

🤷‍♂️

[dlbalr]

36 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Arber would be an interesting experiment at forward. He can skate at ok speeds going north south but his pivot speed is terrible which Dmen use a great deal. 

 

He used to have decent north-south speed but it was painfully evident the one game last season that he was about two steps behind.  He threw lots of hits, most of which could have been interference penalties given how long the puck had been moved.

 

If Xhekaj has lost about 10-15 pounds, it's a viable option to have him as a fourth liner/emergency defenceman.  But I imagine he hasn't lost the weight, which means I'm not sure he'd be trustworthy as a fourth liner; he'd be too far behind the play again.

[JoeLassister]

Oh man... I am not setting my expectations and hope very high on this, but if Arber can ever become a reliable 12th-13th forward for us...  And if Florian can become a reliable 4th liner as well...  we will have tons of fun 

[GHT120]

3 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

If Xhekaj has lost about 10-15 pounds, it's a viable option to have him as a fourth liner/emergency defenceman.  But I imagine he hasn't lost the weight, which means I'm not sure he'd be trustworthy as a fourth liner; he'd be too far behind the play again.

 

Might help with his agility/quickness when playing D as well

[Commandant]

Every few years there is a defenceman that people want to convert to forward.  Its not as easy as many think.  I'm not convinced that this will work and would rather just trade the guy for the kinds of offers that have been rumoured (a 2nd round pick) before losing value. 

 

That second could be used in a package for a legit forward. 

 

3rd/4th line forward depth isn't a need on this team.  Another top 6 guy (or 2) is

[dlbalr]

 

Took a while but now, Letowski is no longer an assistant coach.  (He was listed as one through the summer even after Lalonde's hiring.)

[tomh009]

Same title as Bouillon, then.

 

MPP is still a player development consultant, too, presumably in her spare time from the Victoire.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

7 hours ago, dlbalr said:

 

He used to have decent north-south speed but it was painfully evident the one game last season that he was about two steps behind.  He threw lots of hits, most of which could have been interference penalties given how long the puck had been moved.

 

If Xhekaj has lost about 10-15 pounds, it's a viable option to have him as a fourth liner/emergency defenceman.  But I imagine he hasn't lost the weight, which means I'm not sure he'd be trustworthy as a fourth liner; he'd be too far behind the play again.

I forgot about that game until you posted this. Arber was noticeably slow and trying him at forward seems pointless 

 

Trading him if the offers are genuinely there might be best option

[DON]

Well, is this the year Reinbacher makes the squad full-time?

 

2026 Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #8 David Reinbacher

 

Weaknesses
Reinbacher has the skating, shot, and playmaking ability needed to play in the NHL. The bigger question is whether he can consistently put all of those pieces together. There are stretches when he looks every bit like an NHL defenceman, and others when you forget he’s even out there. That’s not unusual for a young player, but Reinbacher needs to make those disappearing acts less frequent. At this stage, it’s less about adding another tool to the toolbox and more about getting the old faithfuls to show up every night.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

3 hours ago, DON said:

Well, is this the year Reinbacher makes the squad full-time?

 

2026 Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #8 David Reinbacher

 

Weaknesses
Reinbacher has the skating, shot, and playmaking ability needed to play in the NHL. The bigger question is whether he can consistently put all of those pieces together. There are stretches when he looks every bit like an NHL defenceman, and others when you forget he’s even out there. That’s not unusual for a young player, but Reinbacher needs to make those disappearing acts less frequent. At this stage, it’s less about adding another tool to the toolbox and more about getting the old faithfuls to show up every night.

 

Feels like he’s been around forever, but of course he’s only 21.

 

Big D take longer to develop and of course, his development has been stalled by brutal injuries. I really want him to step up, but if he’s not able to make the jump, I think he should probably get another year before we decisively downgrade him.

[illWill]

I feel like we've been so spoiled with prospects lately that people have a skewed opinion about Reinbacher because he hasn't graduated to the NHL full time as of yet. There have been countless trade proposals involving him or just outright writing him off as a potential player on the team. 

 

When he was drafted and even to this day, he is exactly what we need on the back end. He profiles as a solid defender that can skate well and move the puck, with a bit of offensive upside. We don't need him to rack up the points, fight, or do anything other than be himself. 

 

It can be a bit concerning that he has had so many injuries so far, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a bust by any means. i thought that he looked great during his cup of coffee last season and I fully expect him to make things difficult on management at training camp when they are selecting the team. 

[GHT120]

 

Guhle skating by himself yesterday, in sweats, while his teammates practiced on another sheet
 

Guhle WATCHING his teammates practice today ... is there an injury problem?

[BCHabnut]

On 9/2/2026 at 4:12 AM, DON said:

Well, is this the year Reinbacher makes the squad full-time?

 

2026 Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #8 David Reinbacher

 

Weaknesses
Reinbacher has the skating, shot, and playmaking ability needed to play in the NHL. The bigger question is whether he can consistently put all of those pieces together. There are stretches when he looks every bit like an NHL defenceman, and others when you forget he’s even out there. That’s not unusual for a young player, but Reinbacher needs to make those disappearing acts less frequent. At this stage, it’s less about adding another tool to the toolbox and more about getting the old faithfuls to show up every night.

I think Engels is right. Reinbacher will get the Joshua Roy chance. They will keep playing him. Keep giving him chances and hope he fits. It is a big hole and it shrinks a great deal even if he can fill in as number 6. My guess is that if he doesn't work out, it won't be for lack of  han es.

[Fanpuck33]

19 hours ago, BCHabnut said:

I think Engels is right. Reinbacher will get the Joshua Roy chance. They will keep playing him. Keep giving him chances and hope he fits. It is a big hole and it shrinks a great deal even if he can fill in as number 6. My guess is that if he doesn't work out, it won't be for lack of  han es.

 

When did they "keep playing" Joshua Roy?  Did he even play 40 games in his whole Habs career?  They hardly tried to force him as an NHLer.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

On 9/2/2026 at 4:17 PM, illWill said:

I feel like we've been so spoiled with prospects lately that people have a skewed opinion about Reinbacher because he hasn't graduated to the NHL full time as of yet. There have been countless trade proposals involving him or just outright writing him off as a potential player on the team. 

 

When he was drafted and even to this day, he is exactly what we need on the back end. He profiles as a solid defender that can skate well and move the puck, with a bit of offensive upside. We don't need him to rack up the points, fight, or do anything other than be himself. 

 

It can be a bit concerning that he has had so many injuries so far, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a bust by any means. i thought that he looked great during his cup of coffee last season and I fully expect him to make things difficult on management at training camp when they are selecting the team. 

 

Totally irrational - this is not analysis - but DR has felt like a cursed pick right from the moment Price garbled his name. We were then told he’s one of those guys who ‘does everything well’ but has no signature elite skill, which feels a bit like being told the girl you’re being set up with has a great personality. Then he goes on to get all these injuries…and after two years of floundering, finally has a solid but not electrifying season in Laval. It’s strictly a ‘feel’ thing but there has been literally nothing in his arc from the moment of his being drafted to get excited about.

 

Rationally speaking, you have to look at him and think he has a decent chance to put it together and evolve into a highly capable,  top-4 RD. But that ‘feel’ thing probably colours the fan response.

[Commandant]

I saw someone do a study, while defencemen in general can be later than forwards, its coming earlier and earlier for them.

 

And even with that, if a defenceman is a top 10 pick and isnt an NHL regular (at least on the roster) by age 21, its like 70% that hes gonna be a bust, and 25% that hes a 3rd pair guy at best.  So its almost now or never for Reinbacher to at least become a full time regular NHLer.  That doesnt mean he has to be top 4 as a rookie but he needs to earn a roster spot.

[DON]

Basu noted this;

So Reinbacher is behind most recent top d-picks.

 

...Of those 11, only two — Juolevi and Makar — had not played a full NHL season by his 21st birthday. Juolevi was a bust for the Vancouver Canucks, but Makar was obviously the opposite of a bust and a sign that it might not be too late for Reinbacher. If you expand the scope to defencemen picked in the top 10 over those same 10 drafts, you get a list of 25 defencemen, and still, the only three on that list not to have played a full NHL season by their 21st birthday in addition to Juolevi and Makar are Haydn Fleury, Simon Edvinsson and Brandt Clarke, which means 80 percent of those defencemen taken in the top-10 had established themselves in the NHL by the time they were Reinbacher’s age.

[Commandant]

Yeah it was Basu i heard with the same facts on a podcast. 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Reinbacher missed an entire year with his knee injury and then missed another chunk of time the season of his return. 
 

His development is certainly behind. I think that Reinbacher makes the team even if he doesn’t impress in camp - unless he is outright bad. 
 

My gut “feels” like we picked a bust but I think he will get enormous opportunity to show us what he has.