Kent Hughes confirms that he knew about Matvei Michkov and David Reinbacher
In June 2023, it was a surprise when Kent Hughes and the Canadiens drafted David Reinbacher instead of Matvei Michkov.
The Austrian was clearly not among the preferences of Canadiens fans, as the depth at forward has been lacking for a long time. Seeing another defenseman join the organization instead of a potential generational talent like Matvei Michkov raised many eyebrows.
Fortunately for the organization, this quickly became less important, as a year later, Ivan Demidov belongs to the team, and several young players have started to stand out, like Oliver Kapanen.
According to Kent Hughes, he is very confident and even allowed himself to compare Kapanen to David Reinbacher, while also adding that he was aware of Michkov.
- Marc Antoine Godin
The fans' popular choice was Matvei Michkov, and Kent Hughes knew it very well. Now that Michkov is already in Philadelphia and has performed well during camp, the comparison resurfaces, especially since David Reinbacher is injured for almost the entire season, and likely wouldn't have played in Montreal anyway.
We truly hope that the organization won't regret its first-round pick in 2023.
This passage highlights the ongoing debate around the Canadiens' decision to select Reinbacher over Michkov, as well as the fans' initial reaction and the team's future outlook.
