The New York Islanders have shifted defender Mike Reilly to injured reserve and recalled defender Travis Mitchell, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Reilly hasn’t played since November 1st, when he hit his head on the ice after a hit from Buffalo Sabres forward Jordan Greenway. Reilly has since been labeled as out with an upper-body injury, though it seems his concerns are concussion-related.
Reilly went without any scoring in the 11 games he appeared in before injury, with one penalty, three hits, and four blocked shots standing as the only changes to his statline. He’s nonetheless been an impactful pickup for the Islanders, playing in 59 games with the team last season after an October waiver claim. Serving in a third-pair role, Reilly put up six goals and 24 points – the former a career-high, and the latter the highest he’s managed with a single club. He’s been a stout, two-way depth defender for the last decade, with a career that’s taken him through stops with six different clubs.
Reilly’s absence lined up closely with Adam Pelech and Alexander Romanov’s exit from the lineup, depleting the entirety of New York’s left-side defense. The team has turned towards a list of defenders in response – calling up Samuel Bolduc, Grant Hutton, and Isaiah George to join Dennis Cholowski in rotating through the open spots. Cholowski is the only one to score of the bunch, with two goals in eight games, though it’s been George who’s jumped off the page in his first four NHL games.
With a continued lack of production from their depth, the Islanders will now add to the rotation by awarding Travis Mitchell the first NHL call-up of his career. Mitchell is a Cornell University who joined the Islanders organization as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He totaled 47 points in 95 games at Cornell but has since struggled to find his stride in the minors, with just seven points across 48 games with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders across the last three seasons. Still, Mitchell has proven a lanky and capable defender, making an impact through heavy hitting and active defending. He’ll try to bring a spark to an Islanders lineup that’s gone 3-4-2 across their last nine games.