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Key Canadiens Roster Choices Explained – Reinbacher And Fowler
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- Key Canadiens Roster Choices Explained – Reinbacher And Fowler
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
The Montreal Canadiens are set to open the season with a few surprises in the lineup, as two of the organization's best prospects failed to earn a job out of training camp.
Both David Reinbacher and Jacob Fowler will start the year with the Laval Rocket in the AHL, a decision that may seem surprising on the surface, but smacks of logic once we step back and look at the bigger picture.
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David Reinbacher
The 21-year-old defenceman put together a solid showing at camp, but the hype surrounding his chances far outweighed his actual performances. Realistically, Reinbacher is not yet ready for a top-four role, even if he played reasonably well alongside Lane Hutson in one preseason game. Deploying him as a No. 6 or No. 7 defenceman would only hinder his development further.
Simply put, Reinbacher needs to gain as much experience as possible after a tumultuous few years. He has played just 80 games since arriving from Europe in 2024, well below the expected threshold for a high-end prospect drafted in 2023. Laval Rocket fans will confirm he has improved over the past couple of seasons, yet he has still not established himself as the team's top defenceman. In 2025-26 he played second fiddle to Adam Engstrom , finishing with 10 fewer points despite appearing in eight more games.
None of this is meant to denigrate Reinbacher or suggest he will never make an impact in the NHL. His confidence has surged since camp began, and a return to the AHL will give him prime minutes at 5v5, on the power play, and on the penalty kill. He is a mobile defenceman who does a good job initiating plays, and his speed in transition should eventually fit Montreal's style perfectly.
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At this stage, the AHL remains the ideal league for a player who is on the cusp of NHL readiness but still needs to improve his speed of execution, puck handling, and physicality.
While many fans wanted to see Reinbacher make the Canadiens, they were missing the forest for the trees to a certain extent. Forcing a young player into a difficult situation is rarely wise. Rushing someone with limited experience and a history of injuries into the NHL is a recipe for disaster.
It is also worth remembering that Kaiden Guhle will be available in less than a month, at which point Engstrom will likely be returned to the AHL as well. Even if Reinbacher had cracked the roster, his window of opportunity would already have been closing.
Jacob Fowler
The only position that takes longer to develop than defencemen is goaltending, and while there is no doubt Jacob Fowler has progressed faster than anyone expected, he has still shown signs that he needs more professional experience before he is ready for full-time NHL duties.
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Fowler has played just 47 games, split between the Canadiens and Rocket, since graduating from the NCAA after two seasons. Not only did he gain less experience at the college level than most goaltenders, he has barely dipped his toes into the chilly waters of professional hockey.
His positioning and anticipation remain borderline elite in straightforward situations, but when the puck is passed from down low to a player waiting near the slot, Fowler often struggles to find his ideal depth and ends up sitting too deep in his net. The speed of the NHL game has also presented a challenge, though he has handled it quite well given his relatively rushed development.
Much like Reinbacher, Fowler needs to play as often as possible. With that opportunity unavailable in Montreal, serving as Laval's starter is the ideal situation for a very young netminder with legitimate NHL aspirations.
There is also the matter of competition. Samuel Montembeault had an excellent training camp, even if he struggled mightily in 2025-26, the very struggles that led to Fowler's exciting call-up and helped stabilize the organization at a low point.
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The Canadiens can continue shopping Montembeault on the notoriously thin trade market for NHL goalies while keeping him as a strong contingency option should starter Jakub Dobes stumble out of the gate.
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