Canadiens shake up roster after tough loss to Tampa Bay

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Jonathan Ouimet
April 26, 2026  (11:21 PM)

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Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

The Canadiens loaned David Reinbacher to the Laval Rocket on Sunday. The timing is everything. This came right after Montreal's Game 4 loss to Tampa Bay.

The series is now tied 2-2. Next game is Wednesday in Tampa. And the 21-year-old defenceman is on his way back to the AHL.

Don't read this as a punishment. It's a logistics move that tells you exactly what Martin St-Louis and the medical staff are planning for Game 5.

Noah Dobson is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 26-year-old was paid $9.5 million this season to anchor Montreal's top pair.

The Habs played the first four games of this series without him. If Reinbacher is no longer needed as a black ace, somebody else is being slotted in.

The Austrian had played 2 NHL games in the regular season before this run. He didn't dress for any of the first four playoff games. He was insurance.

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Look at what Montreal is missing without him. Dobson posted 47 points in 80 games this season and finished plus-5 on a 48-24-10 club that earned 106 points.

His regular-season form coming in was rough. One point in his last 10 games and a -7 rating. The Habs have leaned on a rotating cast on the back end through this entire series.

A healthy Dobson changes how Montreal matches up against the Lightning's top line. It changes the power play. It changes the heavy-minute deployment.

Tampa just stole one in Montreal to even the series. Jon Cooper now has home ice for Game 5 and a top-five overall regular-season club coming off a momentum win.

So the Reinbacher move is the only signal St-Louis is sending publicly. The kid goes down. Somebody more familiar steps up.

That math points to one player above all others on the day-to-day list. The Habs need their best blueliner back, and the front office just cleared a roster spot to make it possible.

Wednesday night in Tampa is going to tell us who's actually in the lineup. The Reinbacher transaction tells us Montreal believes that lineup might look different than the one that lost Sunday.

Previously

Canucks reportedly ready to let teams talk as major trade name emerges

Nikita Kucherov stays down after scary cross-check into the boards

Lightning hit with injury scare as veteran leaves game early

POLL
AVRIL 26   |   538 ANSWERS Canadiens shake up roster after tough loss to Tampa Bay Will the Canadiens win Game 5 in Tampa ?
Yes	338	62.8 %
No	200	37.2 %
LIST OF POLLS

À LIRE

Il y a 1 heure  |  Par Patrick Dragon Ce que Martin St-Louis a fait à l’entraînement ce matin n’est pas passé inaperçu

Il y a 3 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Le salaire inattendu de Martin St-Louis avec le Canadien est confirmé et c'est du jamais vu dans la LNH

Il y a 4 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Gavin McKenna révèle l’équipe de la LNH pour laquelle il rêve de jouer

Il y a 5 heures  |  Par Patrick Dragon Ça vient d’être confirmé par Martin St-Louis pour Arber Xhekaj avant le match contre les Sabres

Il y a 6 heures  |  Par Patrick Dragon David Pagnotta confirme ce qu’on pensait sur la rumeur de congédiement de Jon Cooper

Il y a 9 heures  |  Par Patrick Dragon Nikita Kucherov passe son message au DG du Lightning et ça pourrait être terminé pour lui à Tampa Bay

Il y a 10 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Le Lightning offre un dernier cadeau au Canadien après son élimination en première ronde

Il y a 10 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Coup de théâtre et du renfort débarque en attaque avant le match entre le Canadien et des Sabres

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