The Islanders have signed winger Anthony Duclair to a four-year deal and re-signed defenseman Mike Reilly to a one-year deal, the team said in separate announcements. Duclair’s deal carries a $3.5MM cap hit, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Duclair is reunited with head coach Patrick Roy who he played for back in junior; Roy called to recruit him to the Islanders. The 28-year-old speedster has bounced around over the years as this will be the ninth NHL organization he has played for as he enters his 11th season.
Last summer, Florida moved Duclair to San Jose in a cost-clearing move. While he rebounded a bit after a tough showing in 2022-23, he was on a Sharks team who struggled considerably from a scoring perspective although he still managed 16 goals and 11 assists in 56 games. Tampa Bay picked him up at the trade deadline and the fit was seamless as he added eight goals and seven assists in 17 contests down the stretch before adding a pair of assists in five playoff contests. He should give the Isles some more secondary scoring on the wings moving forward.
As for Reilly, he started last season with Florida after being bought out by Boston, who is still paying him $1.333MM in cash for the upcoming season. However, he was waived less than two months into the season after playing in just two games and was claimed by the Islanders who were dealing with injury issues at the time.
The change of scenery was certainly beneficial for both Reilly and the Isles. He immediately stepped into a regular role and held it for the rest of the season, picking up six goals and 18 assists along the way while logging more than 17 minutes a night. That was enough to convince GM Lou Lamoriello to keep him around at a $250K raise from the $1MM he made last season. Reilly should reprise his role on the third pairing with some secondary power play time next season.