Reilly Ready to Roll

It was a whirlwind weekend for Mike Reilly, who was claimed off waivers by the New York Islanders on Saturday, arrived on Long Island on Sunday and hit the ice for practice on Monday morning with his new team.

“I'm super excited for this opportunity,” Reilly said. “I’ve always thought highly about the locker room here and the culture and what they've been building here.” 

The feeling is mutual between Reilly and the organization. Islanders President of Hockey Ops and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said he saw potential in Reilly after the team’s met in the 2021 playoffs and after his first practice on Long Island, Head Coach Lane Lambert liked what he saw from the Chicago, IL, native up close. 

“I like his mobility a lot,” Lambert said on Monday. “He’s a great skater and passes the puck hard, he’s a good first pass guy.”

The 6'1, 196 lbs. defenseman is a veteran of 341 NHL games with 98 points (12G and 86A) on his resume, along with 139 AHL games. He began the 2023-24 season with the Florida Panthers but played in just two games. Prior his time with the Panthers, Reilly had stints with the Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Boston Bruins. Lamoriello said Reilly’s experience can bring value to his lineup, which is suddenly down two defensemen due to injury.

“His skating is his asset and his puck moving ability is an asset.” Lamoriello said on Saturday. “We've seen enough of him to know what we think he can do… he hasn't been given a much opportunity at this point.”

Reilly’s arrival comes at a time of need for the Islanders, who are struggling on the injury front with their blue line after Adam Pelech was placed on LTIR on Saturday and Sebastian Aho was placed on IR on Monday, both with upper-body ailments. Since both Pelech and Aho are left-handed shots, Reilly, another lefty, reinforces the left side and adds some offensive punch.

“I can bring puck movement, help break the puck out and get up the ice a little bit,” Reilly said. “I know there's definitely some skilled forwards and I want to take advantage this opportunity here.”

Young members of the defense core are excited to benefit from the experience Reilly brings. Samuel Bolduc, 22, is looking forward to playing with Reilly. 

“Everything that I can learn from him, it'll be good for me,” Bolduc said. “He’s played a lot of games in his career, just have to learn from him as well.” 

Aside from experience facing the Islanders, Reilly has other notable Islander connections. He played with JG Pageau in Ottawa in the 2019-20 season. The two were good teammates on and off the ice, immediately sharing a laugh when they reunited on Long Island. Reilly described Pageau as a big-time competitor who plays the right way, while Pageau spoke highly of the value and experience he’s bringing to the team.  

“I liked him as a teammate [in Ottawa] so it's great to have him here,” JG Pageau said. “I think he's going to help the team. I know he's going to bring a lot on the ice. He's bringing a lot of composure with the puck, he skates well, has a lot of experience and will fit in well with this group.”

Reilly was also teammates with Hudson Fasching in their pre-NHL days when they played for the University of Minnesota. They overlapped for two seasons, playing together in 2013-14 and 2014-15.  

“Back in college, it was a fun time to play with him,” Fasching said. “He’s offensive defenseman, skates really well and moves the puck well. He's fun to watch on the power play.” 

The Islanders’ locker room has no shortage of Minnesota connections, as many players are either from the North Star State or enjoy practicing there in the offseason. Reilly cited Brock Nelson and Anders Lee as guys he has experience playing with. Reilly pointed out how his familiarity with some of the players already helped him ease into a new organization and feel comfortable right away. 

“Knowing a couple of the guys already, it’s awesome,” Reilly said. “I was a little bit nervous coming in, but it feels like you don't have to walk on eggshells just based off a couple of guys and being familiar with them already. I’m ready for this opportunity.”