Bruins: Mike Reilly May Be More Than a Rental

When looking back at the trade deadline, Boston Bruins fans were primarily excited about the acquisition of Taylor Hall. I mean, how could they not have been? Even though the winger had a down year with the Buffalo Sabres, he showed elite scoring ability in the past. Boston became a great fit for him, too, as he would find his game again and be a real force on the second-line.

Yet, the Bruins made another top-of-the-line trade when they traded for Mike Reilly. He would end up being a perfect match with Brandon Carlo on the team’s second defensive pair. He provided some decent offense, too, as he would register 8 assists in 15 regular-season games with the club. In fact, one could argue that he was their most stable left-handed defenseman with his smart defensive work.

Thus, there is a lot of excitement in knowing that Reilly is very interested in staying with the Bruins. In fact, the feeling appears to be mutual with management, as the two sides are currently having extension talks. A deal certainly is in the realm of possibility because of this.

A Reilly extension makes the Bruins defense a lot better.

Before the Bruins acquired Mike Reilly, it was clear that they had serious trouble with their left-side on the backend. This was frustrating at the time, as management decided to let both Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara leave through free agency. Jakub Zboril was clearly not an adequate replacement for Krug, while nobody would come close to Chara’s importance, either.

It was what would ultimately lead the Bruins to acquire Reilly from the Senators. After this, the team was so much better defensively. They went from potentially missing the playoffs to being legitimate favorites from the East Division. Although they ended up falling to the Islanders, they would not have gotten to the second round without this upgrade. Without all their injuries, they could have gone further.

With Reilly being so transparent about wanting to stay in Boston, he likely won’t be overpaid. This and him knowing the system so well makes this potential re-signing a no-brainer. Please make it happen, Don.