Author: Harrison Clements (@TheHarriC)
With the pre-season firmly in the rearview mirror, the Montreal Canadiens have finally announced their only wave of cuts. While expected players Owen Protz, Alex Belzile and Hunter McKown, among others, found themselves either loaned or waived to the Laval Rocket, a few who did and did not stirred up opinions.
Notable players sent down include Jacob Fowler, Owen Beck and David Reinbacher. And staying with the team? Adam Engstrӧm and Florian Xhekaj.
The least controversial of those sent back down, in my opinion, is Jacob Fowler. Jakub Dobes has squarely set himself as the main man between the pipes, and Samuel Montembeault would have to clear waivers, which, with the current state of goaltending in the NHL, he would be very unlikely to clear. The Habs brass were very clear on the point of carrying three netminders to start the season, while during a pre-camp interview Kent Hughes stated as such.
The real talking point I see is in the case of Montreal’s top defensive prospects Adam Engström and David Reinbacher. While I don’t personally think it’s that controversial a move to send Reinbacher down, it is worth discussing.
Engstrӧm was one of the last cuts when it came to last year’s Canadiens pre-season and was a go-to throughout the season when they needed a reliable d-man. Once again, that seems to be what the Canadiens have currently with the absence of Kaiden Guhle. This is not an indictment of Reinbacher in any way; it’s simply a matter of utility. Engström has shown throughout NHL games that he can play fairly mistake-free hockey on both the left and right side of the ice; that’s a valuable tool to have that Reinbacher does not currently possess. It’s also better for a guy like Engström to sit rather than Reinbacher when being carried as the seventh blueliner.
It’s about direct need, not deserving.
Reinbacher has certainly come a long way, but he still needs reps to develop due to his injuries, and he will get that in Laval. He’s shown he can dominate games when he wants, but it’s about making it a habit at this point, baking it into his DNA. I do not doubt that if a big trade involving a Canadiens defenseman comes along, Reinbacher will quickly see his way onto Montreal’s blue line. Even without that, I have all the confidence in the world that he finishes the season with the big club.
Now to Florian.
The other final cut alongside Engstrӧm last season, “the unicorn” has had to claw his way up the pro ranks and hone his tools like a chef’s knife. A wrecking ball in one facet and a hard-shooting weapon in another, Florian seems to be finding a balance in his game and brings something that the Canadiens truly don’t have in their bottom six. Scoring and violence, something to fear.
Which brings me to Owen Beck. I’ve been a big fan of Beck since his days with the Steelheads, then winning with the Petes and Spirit in the OHL Championship and Memorial Cup. He’s strong, great in the faceoff dot, and plays a reassuring game, but he does not have a true (for lack of a better term) “X” factor. A lot of people, including myself, see him as heir apparent to Jake Evans or Phil Danault when the most likely move on from Montreal.
But both Evans and Danault remain with Montreal, and the logjam persists.
If these deserving AHL guys get a chance at the NHL level, a current NHL mainstay must move on, and therein lies the tricky part. Engstrӧm is currently keeping Guhle’s seat warm, and Florian can cycle in as the 13th /14th forward and battle it out in the bottom six. Texier and Dach are both vulnerable to losing a spot, and I wouldn’t put it past Xhekaj to take it.
But for now, guys like Beck, Fowler, and Reinbacher don’t seem to have a seat at the table while vets remain. Their time is coming soon, but that time is not right now.
