Habs Daily: Canadiens Lose Prospect, David Reinbacher’s Season

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed during on Monday.

Montreal Canadiens News

TVA analyst Nicolas Cloutier reported that Rhett Pitlick is no longer a Montreal Canadiens prospect. The Habs had until August 15 to offer him an entry-level contract. Pitlick, 23, was drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He scored 35 goals and 44 assists in 109 games for the University of Minnesota during his three seasons in the NCAA. His third season with the Golden Gophers was respectable, to the tune of 19 goals and 17 assists in 39 games, but the overager won’t represent a significant loss to the organization’s prospect pool. Pitlick ranked 36 out of 40 in our 2024 Canadiens prospect summer rankings.[Habs Prospect Rankings – Players Who Missed The Cut & Prospects Ranked No.40 to N0.31]

Les @CanadiensMTL me confirment que Rhett Pitlick n’est plus un espoir de l’organisation. #CH

— Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) August 5, 2024

The Canadiens prospect rankings top 5 kicks off with one of the most polarizing players in the system, defenceman David Reinbacher. Those relying on a quick look at his point production last season you won’t have a very high opinion of his play, but it’s crucial to keep usage in mind when analyzing hockey players. Reinbacher’s season was complicated, to say the least, but it finished on a very encouraging note.  [Canadiens Prospect Rankings: David Reinbacher’s Complicated Season]

Victoriaville Tigers forward Justin Larose has been invited to the rookie training camp. Larose, 19, had a solid season from an offensive standpoint, scoring 38 goals and 42 assists in 67 regular-season games, as well as 16 points in 14 playoff games.

Notre attaquant Justin Larose a obtenu son invitation au camp des recrues des @CanadiensMTL !

Bravo Justin ! 👏#GoTigresGo pic.twitter.com/H5bkxRMFyw

— Tigres de Victoriaville (@TigresVicto) August 5, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

From the optimistic to the dark light and harsh reality, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ offseason analysis has two very different sides. Last season, the Penguins finished behind the Washington Capitals, and Washington has greatly improved this summer. The Penguins finished just ahead of the New Jersey Devils, who have also greatly improved. Not only will the Penguins face external challenges if they hope to erase the sour taste of the collapsing 2023 and ’24 teams, but they will also face significant internal challenges. [Pittsburgh Penguins]

The Philadelphia Flyers are virtually done with their 2024 offseason after re-signing some key free agents and bringing in Matvei Michkov, but that doesn’t mean they can’t continue to add competition for roster spots in other ways. [Philadelphia Flyers]

It was half expected that ex-New Jersey Devils forward Alexander Holtz would see his time come to an end in Newark this summer. When that actually came to fruition, it certainly sent Devils fans into a tizzy. The Devils faithful expressed worry that perhaps the team they cheer for gave up on the 22-year-old too quickly and that he’ll break out to become what many believe his potential to be. That’s exactly the dice Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon is rolling by acquiring Holtz. [New Jersey Devils]