Montreal Canadiens top prospect David Reinbacher underwent surgery on his left knee and is expected to miss five to six months, the Canadiens announced Tuesday.
Reinbacher fell awkwardly after a hit by Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Marshall Rifai in Saturday’s preseason 2-1 loss.
Le défenseur David Reinbacher a été opéré au genou gauche ce matin. Sa période de réadaptation est évaluée à cinq à six mois.
Defenseman David Reinbacher underwent surgery to his left knee this morning. His rehabilitation period is expected to be from 5 to 6 months. pic.twitter.com/tzgyhkgXeR
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 1, 2024
Reinbacher’s hockey career has not gone smoothly since picked No. 5 in the 2023 NHL Draft. He began last season with injuries to his right knee and to a hand, had a turnstile of head coaches at EHC Kloten and had to navigate a bit of an identity crisis as a high draft pick who was looking to do too much to justify the Canadiens’ faith in him.
Now, this.
Reinbacher salvaged last season with a strong showing in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, playing the final 11 games of the regular season in the heat of a playoff race that fell just short. The hope was he could build on that momentum this season in Laval, but now he will essentially have to start from scratch.
It is an unfortunate development for both him and the Canadiens, but at least the five-to-six-month timeline gives him a chance to return before the season ends. Still, the Canadiens invested a lot in Reinbacher. They took a big risk drafting him over several forwards still available at No. 5 — most notably Matvei Michkov — and Reinbacher’s career since then has been largely defined by bad breaks.
The Canadiens are also expected to provide an update on winger Patrik Laine, who also left Saturday’s game after a knee-on-knee collision with Maple Leafs forward Cédric Paré. Laine lay on the ice for a few minutes clutching his left knee and was helped off the ice.
The Canadiens open the regular season Oct. 8 against the Maple Leafs.
(Photo: David Kirouac / USA Today)
