David Dwork of The Hockey News has tweeted that the Florida Panthers have placed defensemen Mike Reilly on waivers today. The expectation is that if Reilly goes unclaimed, he will be assigned to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Reilly has suited up in just two games for the Panthers this season and has registered no points and a -2 rating.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Reilly was bought out in the offseason by the Boston Bruins before eventually signing a one-year $1MM deal with the Panthers. He was expected to serve as a depth option for Florida, but with Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour back in the fold there is really no need for the Panthers to keep Reilly at the NHL level.
The 30-year-old spent nearly half of last season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins and was quite productive offensively registering seven goals and 19 assists in 36 games.
Reilly has struggled at the NHL level since signing a three-year $9MM deal with the Boston Bruins in July of 2021. He stuck with the Bruins in the first year of his three-year deal but has bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL for the past two seasons. If Reilly can put up offensive numbers like last year’s AHL numbers, he could be first in line for a recall if the Panthers run into any injury troubles.
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