David Reinbacher was chosen 5th overall in the 2023 draft because the Canadiens recognized his significant potential. However, as time has progressed, there are increasing criticisms suggesting that the Habs erred in selecting him so high. This criticism appears valid, given that the Canadiens’ prospect had a challenging 2023-24 season in Kloten.
Recently, about a year after Reinbacher was drafted, Corey Pronman from The Athletic re-evaluated the 2023 draft to identify any misclassifications. Notably, he ranked Reinbacher the lowest among the top seven picks, dropping him to 15th place—indicating a significant decline of ten spots from where he was originally drafted.
The initial top-7 picks were:
1. Connor Bedard
2. Leo Carlsson
3. Adam Fantilli
4. Will Smith
5. David Reinbacher
6. Dmitry Simashev
7. Matvei Michkov
Among these, only Simashev fell out of Scott Wheeler’s top-6, with Nate Danielson replacing him in the 6th spot. Simashev is ranked 7th in Wheeler’s updated list.
This suggests that David Reinbacher has seen a sharp drop in Wheeler’s re-rankings, which is somewhat understandable. It’s important to remember that Reinbacher was in a tough situation last season, limiting the opportunity for positive recognition, and he is now expected to miss the entire season due to a serious knee injury. It’s essential to give the player a fair opportunity, which he hasn’t had up to this point.
