Hughes: 'He's the player that we believe can help our team the most'

MONTREAL - Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes addressed the media following the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville on Wednesday night.

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Here are a few highlights from his press conference:

Please note that questions and answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.

Kent Hughes on David Reinbacher's qualities:

David Reinbacher is a big defenseman. His defensive IQ is very, very high. We spoke about it last night with Stéphane Robidas, our defense coach, who watched a lot of film on [David]. He's equally as effective in moving the puck, so when you watch him play, you notice he transitions from defense to offense real quick. [...] He's got an active stick and he's a strong skater. He moves the puck extremely well, and it's evident that the decisions he makes with the puck when breaking out of the zone are elite. [...] He's really humble [in interviews]. He often spoke about earning opportunities, so he fits in well with us. He doesn't expect anything to be handed to him; he wants to earn his ice time.

Hughes on keeping the pick and selecting Reinbacher as opposed to trading it:

There were different options in terms of what we could have done from a trade perspective. But, I think at the end of the day, our scouts believed this was a hockey player that was going to play for us for an awful long time and be on the ice an awful lot. We weren't going to be able to find a trade that would be as valuable as David at five.

Hughes on opting to select a defenseman as opposed to a forward:

[Reinbacher] is a very talented player. There's no doubt that there are many talented players in this Draft, but David Reinbacher is a player that was ranked near the top of our list, regardless of the fact that he's a defenseman. If he was a left-handed defenseman, maybe it would have changed our approach, but we don't have as much depth on the right side. [...] For us, he's the player that we believe can help our team the most.

Hughes on what elements tipped the scale in favor of Reinbacher:

He's a diamond in the rough. Whether it's his physical aspects or his style of play on the ice, he still has a ton of room for growth. The first thing David told us at the table was, "I'm excited to get to work and help [the Canadiens] win a Stanley Cup."

Hughes on what he considers Reinbacher's ceiling to be:

Probably a D2. I'm not sure he's going to run a first power play in the National Hockey League. I'm not big on putting numbers on players, be it D1, D2... If there's a power play defenseman in the NHL, is he your number one or is it somebody who's shutting the play down on one end and launching it on the other end? [Regardless], I think he has the potential to log very significant minutes for our team.