As we prepare for the start of the NHL Draft, The Hockey News has learned that pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Mike Reilly and the New York Islanders are in talks about a possible extension.
As we prepare for the start of the NHL Draft, The Hockey News has learned that pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Mike Reilly and the New York Islanders are in talks about a possible extension.
As we prepare for the start of the NHL Draft, The Hockey News has learned that pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Mike Reilly and the New York Islanders are in talks about a possible extension.
Claimed off waivers by the Florida Panthers on Nov. 25, the 30-year-old may have been one of the more underrated pick-ups in the NHL during the 2023-24 season.
In 61 games with New York, Reilly scored six goals, the most he's scored in his nine-year NHL career, and had 18 assists, tying a career-high.
Reilly added a goal and an assist in the Islander's five playoff games against the Carolina Hurricanes in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Under head coach Patrick Roy, Reilly was second amongst the defense with 14 points (five goals, six assists), a 32-point pace (14 goals, 21 assists).
"Since Patty's come in, it's been a great thing for me as well with how he wants to play the game," Reilly said in an exclusive interview back on May 10. "The NHL, nowadays, it's faster every single year. It's higher paced, it's more skilled, and I think I fit that mold for sure."
If the two sides can come to terms on an extension, Reilly, who played a majority of his minutes with pending UFA defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, will likely be paired with a healthy Scott Mayfield for 2024-25.
He'll also likely be quarterbacking the second power-play unit, which he often did in his first year on Long Island.