There was concern this would be a lost season for the defenceman, who was taken fifth overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. It appeared to be confirmed when he was told it would take five-to-six months to recover from knee surgery on Oct. 1.
But Reinbacher’s graduation from solo skates over the last 14 days to practice on Monday — less than four months after his pre-season collision with Toronto’s Marshall Rifai put him under the knife — put an end to his delay in development.
There are no guarantees the 20-year-old will get into games with the Canadiens before the end of February, but what he’ll get out of these skates between now and then will enable him to regain footing in his progression. And you could tell what that…