Many fans were left disheartened when the Montreal Canadiens chose David Reinbacher over Matvei Michkov during the 2023 draft. Their disappointment grew when Michkov scored his first two NHL goals on Tuesday night. A year has passed, and the situation for both players has evolved considerably. Reinbacher, a Habs defenseman, essentially lost a year of development during the 2023-2024 season due to struggles with his Kloten team, and an injury will hinder his progress even further. Many believe he is already lagging behind Michkov.
Fortunately, the Canadiens have a targeted recovery plan for him. Meanwhile, the Flyers managed to sign Michkov out of the KHL before his contract ended, and he has had an impressive start to his NHL career, securing three points in his first three games.
To make matters worse for Canadiens fans, Corey Pronman of The Athletic had some fun by revisiting the 2023 draft order a year later. The site HabsolumentFan provided the updated top 15 picks from this re-draft:
1. CONNOR BEDARD – C (1st – Chicago)
2. ADAM FANTILLI – C (3rd – Columbus)
3. LEO CARLSSON – C (2nd – Anaheim)
4. MATVEI MICHKOV – RW (7th – Philadelphia)
5. WILL SMITH – C (4th – San Jose)
6. NATE DANIELSON – C (9th – Detroit)
7. DMITRY SIMASHEV – D (6th – Arizona)
8. RYAN LEONARD – RW (8th – Washington)
9. GABE PERREAULT – RW (23rd – NYRangers)
10. DANIIL BUT – LW (12th – Arizona)
11. AXEL SANDIN-PELLIKKA – D (17th – Detroit)
12. ZACH BENSON – LW (13th – Buffalo)
13. CALUM RITCHIE – C (27th – Colorado)
14. DAVID EDSTROM – C (32nd – San Jose)
15. DAVID REINBACHER – D (5th – Montreal)
Seeing Reinbacher drop from 5th to 15th is particularly painful, and if he doesn’t develop as anticipated due to his injury, the situation could worsen in the coming years.
On a positive note, it’s noteworthy to see Gabriel Perreault’s significant rise from 23rd in the draft to 9th after just one season, which could make him a great selection for the Rangers. In 36 NCAA games at Boston College during the 2023-2024 season, the Quebec native tallied 60 points, including 19 goals, and he has already scored one goal and provided an assist in his first two games this season.
Could Yanic Perreault’s son have been a wiser choice than Reinbacher? Regardless, Reinbacher still has ample opportunity to prove critics wrong!
