David Reinbacher walks into Montreal Canadiens camp this summer with more attention on him than at any point over his young career.
He was the fifth overall pick. He's battled injuries since. And at 21, he still hasn't found his footing at the NHL level.
That's not nothing, though. Reinbacher posted one assist in two games last season, showing composed, simple defensive play in limited minutes.
No flash. No panic. Just a right-shot defenseman who looked like he belonged, even if the sample size was tiny.
Word around the organization this summer is that he's training harder than ever, aiming to show up in the best shape of his career.
If that's true, it changes the calculus completely for Martin St-Louis heading into training camp.
Because right now, Lane Hutson doesn't have a true partner. And that's a real problem for Montreal.
Hutson's production is sliding without a true partner
Hutson put up 78 points last season, 12 goals and 66 assists, with a plus-36 rating over the full year.
But look closer at his recent stretch. Over his last 10 games, he managed just 9 points and slipped to minus-4.
His last five games were worse. Two points, and a minus-5 rating. Something isn't clicking on the back end.
Would a steady, stay-at-home right shot next to him fix that? Nobody knows for certain. But it's worth asking.
Reinbacher fits the profile on paper. Big body, right-handed, calm under pressure, exactly what Hutson has been missing.
The cap situation makes this even easier to consider. Reinbacher carries a cap hit of 918,333 dollars. Hutson sits at 950,000.
Two young, cheap, controllable pieces on the same blue line. That's the kind of flexibility Kent Hughes can build around.
Pairing them full time right away would be like handing a rookie the keys before he's driven the car in traffic. Rushing it would be a mistake.
Reinbacher has two NHL games to his name. St-Louis would be smart to ease him in, not bury him in top-pair minutes on night one.
Montreal sits at 48-24-10 this season, sixth overall and third in the division, riding a 7-3-0 stretch over their last 10 games despite a one-game skid.
That kind of form gives St-Louis room to experiment without the pressure of a team fighting for its playoff life.
Camp will tell the real story. Reinbacher either shows he's ready to handle real NHL minutes, or he doesn't.
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Either way, Hutson needs someone next to him. The only question left is whether Montreal already has the answer in-house.
Should the Canadiens pair Lane Hutson with David Reinbacher right out of training camp?
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