The 2023 NHL Entry Draft has come and gone and there will be weeks of discussion about who won and lost the draft. But the instant reaction to 18-year-olds who have yet to step foot on the ice as members of their respective organizations is premature. No one will know for sure if these young men will be able to reach their potential three or more years down the road.
Related: Canadiens 2023 NHL Draft Pick: David Reinbacher
It is with that in mind that we turn to the reaction that was seen only moments after David Reinbacher was selected fifth overall by general manager (GM) Kent Hughes. There is a reasonable discussion about skill, fit, or any one of a dozen comparisons, but the vitriol that has been seen in such a short time can have a significant impact on the players in Montreal, and those who may have thought about playing for the Canadiens.
Canadiens Plead the Fifth
This is not to defend the pick made but to explain it. There are many reasons why the Canadiens decided to take Reinbacher. Hughes spoke immediately after the selection was made and explained that the scouting staff, the ones who pour over thousands of hours of tape and spend equal amounts watching players in person, agreed on the course of action.
It’s difficult to understand how anyone would not want a 6-foot-2, 194-pound, right-handed, puck-moving defenseman. Especially when he is likely to add more height and strength. He has already been playing a significant role for his club team professionally and has shown good skill in playing defense and controlling the play in transition.
But that’s in a vacuum. There were many high-end prospects still on the board such as Ryan Leonard, but the one player that got Habs fans salivating was the offensively skilled Matvei Michkov. So, why did they pass on him?
“We didn’t hate his talent, he’s very talented, competitive and works hard in the offensive zone. In the defensive zone, he didn’t put in the same level of effort. But you live with those errors. Also, there were too many unknowns, the three-year wait, so we leaned to David (Reinbacher).”
– Martin Lapointe
These concerns were not exclusive to Montreal; the Arizona Coyotes passed on him as well, even selecting Dmitri Simashev, a Russian defender, which points to the fact it wasn’t the Russian factor why they passed on Michkov. Then there was also Mike Grier, general manager of the San Jose Sharks, who held the fourth-overall pick and also had concerns.
While risk aversion is a thing in NHL management circles, there’s a good reason for it. Fans love when the team makes a big home-run swing on pure talent, but when those players fail to reach their potential, fans shrug and walk away. But there are jobs on the line, and a big miss with such a high pick tends to leave teams looking for a new GM. While the contract was a problem, that’s not insurmountable. There may have been something they saw in their interviews they didn’t quite like. But most of all, it was the total lack of in-depth, in-person scouting as to why five teams passed on Michkov.
Bad Blood Boils Over
The lack of knowledge by the fans about a player like Reinbacher has to do with a lack of exposure. There are players in Sweden, Finland, and Russia that are seen and followed from an early age, 12-13 years old, and because of that, scouts, and fans hear these names for several years leading up to a draft. While others, like Reinbacher, develop in relative obscurity. He wasn’t in a hockey hotbed; Austria is not known for their hockey program, although they have done a wonderful job in building it up and helping to increase the number of registered players.
Yet that doesn’t excuse the fact that soon after Reinbacher had heard his name called as the newest member of the Canadiens, there were thousands of hate messages on team sites and on Reinbacher’s personal accounts from frustrated Canadiens fans. Including some even comparing him to Hitler after these ignorant people Googled his name and discovered that the defenseman was Austrian. It is understandable to not like the draft pick made by a team, but this level of hate is disgusting. Directing the anger and frustration toward a player, who’s only crime was not being the player they wanted drafted, is wrong and cowardly.
While people rave about playing in Montreal, and alumni talk glowingly about how amazing it is to win in such a hockey-mad city, the fan base has always been seen as knowledgeable and passionate. But there’s a flip side to that, and it’s dark. That dark side has not gone unnoticed, not just by fans and media, but the players as well. It’s why Montreal is seen as a great place to play when the team wins and the most difficult place when they lose.
“Some members of the Canadiens have definitely been watching it since Wednesday night, and it’s opened some eyes.”
– Arpon Basu (Canadiens draft thoughts: The Reinbacher fallout, a quiet free agency and the run on goalies, The Athletic, 29 June, 2023)
This will cause management to make development decisions that aren’t all hockey related. Before the only thing management needed to concern itself with was where would it be best for him to continue his development. Was to join the American Hockey League (AHL) Laval Rocket, or return to Europe? Now, they’ll need to take into account how they can shield a player from the acidic hatred being directed his way.
It is sad that this is even being discussed. Becoming an NHL player is hard enough without so called fans of a team directing so much anger to a player, adding extra hurdles to that player’s goal of joining the NHL. There are other side effects as well. The current players see this, they have been the targets at times as well, and it is impossible for it to not affect them negatively in some way. But there are also players around the NHL who may have thought of Montreal as a destination but are now rethinking that to avoid the hassle that it brings. While taxes, weather, and the language barriers are all factors, those can be fairly easy to overcome.
One issue that cannot be allowed to take root is a view of Montreal being a difficult place to live for you and your family if you don’t win. Up until now, Hughes has had the benefit of the honeymoon phase, but that has come to an end. This only makes his job more difficult. However, the most important aspect here is the self-destructive actions of a small group who say they are fans, and act like anything but. Disagreement and discussion are one thing, but the over-the-top reactions only serve to hurt the team and tarnish the reputation of the remainder of the fanbase.