David Reinbacher and the Montreal Canadiens are staring down a roster squeeze that nobody's fully solved yet.
A HabsCast podcast discussion this week laid out the problem bluntly: once Reinbacher is ready for the NHL, somebody on the current blue line has to go.
The logic is simple. Montreal isn't going to keep both Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble scratched in the press box on a regular basis all season.
Carry seven defensemen and the math still doesn't work. Carry eight and it's even tighter, with too many bodies for too few real minutes.
None of Xhekaj, Struble, or Alexandre Carrier would clear waivers if Montreal tried sending them down, meaning a trade is the only realistic way to actually free up a roster spot.
Xhekaj posted 4 points in 65 games last season on a $1,300,000 cap hit, and Struble added 12 points in 59 games at $1,412,500.
Carrier put up 22 points in 73 games on a $3,750,000 cap hit, making him the most expensive of the three names in this conversation.
Why waiver rules make a trade the only real option
Reinbacher himself only played 2 games last season due to injuries, managing 1 assist while still on his $886,666 entry-level deal.
If he shows enough at training camp to actually make the club out of the gate, this decision stops being theoretical fast.
Carrier's higher cap hit could make him the easiest one to move if Montreal wants real value back instead of just clearing a roster spot.
Xhekaj's lower production this past season doesn't exactly build a strong case for job security either, especially in a crowded group.
Struble sits in between the two, useful enough to keep around but not so essential that he's untouchable if the numbers force a decision.
Whoever ends up traded, this is the kind of problem a team wants to have: too much legitimate depth and a genuine prospect forcing the issue.
Who gets traded first once Reinbacher makes the Canadiens: Xhekaj, Struble, or Carrier?
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