NHL draft: Flyers could look to replace Ivan Provorov with David Reinbacher

Hours after the Flyers made the Ivan Provorov trade on June 6, sending the 26-year-old defenseman to the Columbus Blue Jackets, general manager Danny Brière acknowledged that the team’s blue line needs improvement. There are promising young players on the roster and in the pipeline, including Cam York, Egor Zamula, Ronnie Attard, and Emil Andrae, but the defensive corps is far from a finished product.

“The defense is critical and building that, but you can’t do it all in one day,” Brière told The Inquirer. “It’s going to take time.”

» READ MORE: Who is Helge Grans? Scouting the Flyers’ newest defensive prospect

If Brière is looking to continue to add to the Flyers’ defensive pool of prospects in the draft, he may consider doing so with the No. 7 overall pick on June 28. Assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in an interview with The Inquirer that while the first round is loaded with forward talent, just a handful of defensemen may hear their names called in that range.

Austrian right-shot defenseman David Reinbacher is widely considered to be the best defenseman available in the draft and could be of interest to the Flyers at No. 7, especially considering that the team could then use the recently acquired No. 22 overall pick on a forward.

The Inquirer spoke to Chris Peters, an NHL draft and prospects analyst with FloHockey, to get his opinion on Reinbacher in the final installment of a six-part series examining some of the prospects the Flyers may consider with the No. 7 overall selection.

The 6-foot-2, 194-pound Reinbacher is NHL Central Scouting’s fifth-ranked European skater, the highest placement among all draft-eligible defensemen. The 18-year-old played in Switzerland’s top pro league with men for EHC Kloten, collecting three goals and 19 assists in 46 games.

Reinbacher’s performance of .478 points per game in the Swiss National League is the best by a defenseman in his NHL draft year since Nashville Predators blueliner Roman Josi’s .23 points per game in 2007-08. Aside from Josi, there isn’t much precedent for 18-year-old defensemen in the league who went on to have NHL careers. In addition to being an offensive contributor, Reinbacher can defend at a high level, utilizing his sound skating and mobility.

“He played big minutes in Switzerland in a tough league,” Peters said. “The Swiss National League has a lot of imports and a lot of former NHLers and a lot of guys that are really good professional European players. So it’s not an easy league for a teenager to play in.”

Reinbacher served as an alternate captain on Austria’s World Juniors team, which has been relegated from the Top Division for the 2024 tournament. But in the games in which Austria was able to be somewhat competitive, Peters said that Reinbacher “could take over games.”

“I think he’s got the highest upside of the defensemen in this draft,” Peters said. “There’s a lot of interesting and intriguing defensemen, but there aren’t a lot of high-end defensemen. But I think he’s one of them.”

As Reinbacher continues to build strength, Peters said he’ll be able to engage a little bit more physically. Peters pointed to Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider, who added more of a physical edge as he made the leap to pro hockey and subsequently won the Calder Trophy in 2022.

While Reinbacher put up points at a solid clip in the Swiss league, Peters noted that his offensive skill set isn’t particularly dynamic. As he looks to take the next step in his career, Reinbacher could stand to improve upon his skill, creativity, and playmaking. But Peters views Reinbacher as a tougher prospect to project into the NHL because of the lack of precedent for what he did this year in the Swiss league.

“I think some of these guys that play in the nontraditional leagues that we see for the draft, there’s a lot more questions than answers that really can only be answered after they’re taken and you start developing them and you get a better idea of what they look like and in a North American setting,” Peters said.

Peters views Reinbacher as a prospective top-four defenseman at the NHL level with the potential to develop into a top-pairing defenseman. Aside from Rasmus Ristolainen and Attard, the Flyers lack right-shot defensive talent on the active roster and in the pipeline. Right-shot defenseman Tony DeAngelo has just one year remaining on his contract and could be a candidate for a trade this offseason. The Flyers could stand to benefit by adding to the pool through the draft, especially at the top end, and Reinbacher is one of the most enticing options.

» READ MORE: Five players the Flyers could target with the No. 7 overall pick in the NHL draft

However, there’s a chance that Reinbacher might not be available to the Flyers at No. 7. The Arizona Coyotes, who pick at No. 6, are in need of defensemen after trading away Jakob Chychrun and Shayne Gostisbehere. The Coyotes also hold the 12th overall pick, which they received from the Ottawa Senators in the Chychrun deal, so they could still nab a forward at that spot.