When it comes to some former Boston Bruins and their current team, not everything has been all roses. However, for defenseman Mike Reilly, that is not the case.
Last season, he caught on with the Carolina Hurricanes and ended up winning a Stanley Cup after playing in a pair of postseason games. However, this season, as it was last season, he found it difficult to crack the lineup for the defending champs. He has played just eight games this season and, on Saturday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, was placed on waivers.
Former Bruins defenseman Mike Reilly placed on waivers
Reilly being placed on waivers wasn't really a surprise, but it would be even less surprising if he were claimed by a club. The 33-year-old, a fourth-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, has two assists this season, but a team looking for depth on defense and a veteran, at that, would take a flyer on him on waivers.
Early in his career, Reilly played for the Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators before he was traded to the Black and Gold in the 2020-21 season. What an addition he was to those teams, collecting eight assists in 15 regular-season games before collecting four assists in 11 postseason games while averaging a career-high 21:29 a night.
Reilly went on to play for the Florida Panthers in the 2023-24 season before ending up with the New York Islanders for the rest of that season and part of the 2024-25 campaign. Now, in his second season in Raleigh, he's on waivers.
As Bruins fans know, Reilly is a mobile defenseman who can play in all situations in an emergency, but isn't a bad puck-moving defenseman. His numbers are six years old from the time he joined the Black and Gold, but it proves what he can provide in the right system for someone looking for help on the backend.
Carolina did this as a move after Reilly has been scratched in 10 straight games and has had nine shots on net, six blocks, and 15 hits this season. The move was made so that the Hurricanes could bring back Jordan Staal for the second Global Series game against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday afternoon, which Carolina won 5-1, to sweep the two games this week in Finland, which was an opportunity for players on both teams to play in their home country.
Add us as a preferred source on Google