The Montreal Canadiens’ defense is entering a period of intense competition, and recent developments have sent ripples throughout the team’s outlook.

General Manager Kent Hughes recently added defenseman Jayden Struble to the roster on a two-year deal, a move that in itself has ignited discussions about the team’s defensive configuration.

However, the story doesn’t end there. The arrival of promising young defenseman David Reinbacher adds another layer of intrigue and potential disruption.

With a core group of defensemen already seemingly locked into key roles, the battle for the remaining spots is shaping up to be fierce.

This article delves into the potential shake-ups within the Canadiens’ defensive depth chart, exploring how Struble’s signing, coupled with Reinbacher’s potential impact, could drastically alter the lineup and create a fascinating storyline to watch during training camp and beyond. Could a young prospect steal a coveted roster spot, potentially pushing established players out of the way? Let’s examine the possibilities.

Photo credit: Le Devoir

There’s been some action with the Montreal Canadiens. Recently, Kent Hughes announced the signing of defenseman Jayden Struble.

We’re talking about a two-year deal here.

There are several ways this signing could shake things up.

We Now Have Jayden Struble and David Reinbacher, Who Could Complicate the Canadiens’ Defensive Picture

This will be one of the most interesting things to watch at the Canadiens’ upcoming training camp.

Who will earn that sixth regular defenseman spot?

We already know Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle, Mike Matheson, and Alexandre Carrier will occupy five of the six defense slots, so.. who gets the sixth?

It clearly looks like it will come down to Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and David Reinbacher.

Struble’s signing is already stirring things up, but read this carefully..

There’s another player who could shake up the entire depth chart – and that’s not great news for Xhekaj.

“The top four is set. After that, you have Carrier, who’s going to play all the time, so that leaves one spot for the sixth defenseman and one for the seventh.

Jayden Struble is going to fight for that.

If Reinbacher arrives in September and manages to impress us at camp, and has a strong preseason schedule..

You can be sure the Canadiens’ management will give him every opportunity to seize a spot.

The moment Reinbacher shows anything – I’m telling you – management holds him in very high regard. So if he shows up in September and makes an impact, it could shake everything up.”

We highly recommend listening to the full segment:

So it’s entirely possible that, despite Struble’s recent signing, it could actually be young David Reinbacher who pushes both Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble out of the regular lineup.