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Mike Reilly

Florida Panthers Sign Six Players

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The Florida Panthers have signed forward Grigori Denisenko to a two-year, one-way contract extension, per his agent, Dan Milstein. The contract carries an average annual value of $775K, says NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston.

PuckPedia adds they’ve signed UFA defenseman Niko Mikkola to a three-year deal worth $2.5MM per season, and TSN’s Darren Dreger says they’ve nabbed Mike Reilly on a one-year deal worth $1MM. They’ve also announced a one-year, two-way extension for blueliner Lucas Carlsson. Per PuckPedia, they’ve signed forward Will Lockwood to a one-year, two-way deal worth $350k guaranteed with a $775k NHL cap hit and $275k AHL salary.

The team later added some more AHL depth, per PuckPedia, signing forward Alexander True to a one-year two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL, $350K in the minors, and a guaranteed salary of $425K.

With some of Florida’s forwards now on the UFA market, Denisenko is a likely candidate to start 2023-24 with the team – potentially even in a top-nine role if they don’t make any other editions. Florida drafted the Russian winger 15th overall in 2018, but he’s yet to break out with just seven assists in 26 career NHL games up to this point.

Mikkola is the big-money signing here, though, and he’s expected to be a stylistic replacement for Radko Gudas, who departed as a UFA to the Anaheim Ducks today. Even with the Panthers’ defense injuries, though, Mikkola will still likely start the season on the bottom pairing on the left side behind Gustav Forsling and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Reilly is likely destined for a press-box role for most of the season (he played in just 10 NHL games last year), but could find himself in the lineup ahead of players like Dmitry Kulikov and Josh Mahura if Florida desires a more offensively inclined option.

Carlsson, Lockwood, and True are likely candidates for AHL Charlotte.

Mike Reilly To Be Bought Out By Bruins

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The Boston Bruins have been trying to create cap space all week long and according to TSN it looks as though they’ll make a little bit of room after placing defenseman Mike Reilly on waivers for the purposes of a buyout. Reilly has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $3MM, the buyout will leave the Bruins with a cap charge of $1.33MM in each of the next two seasons, but will save Boston $1.66MM this year.

Reilly signed a three-year contract with the Bruins back in July 2021 and it seemed ill-fated even at the time. Reilly had never been able to produce much in the way of offence, and he seemed like an odd fit for Bruce Cassidy’s style of play. He managed to produce four goals and 13 assists in 70 games during his first season in Boston, but last year dressed in just 10 games and produced a single assist. Reilly became a cap casualty midway through last season and was sent to Boston’s AHL affiliate Providence where he played in 36 games posting seven goals and 19 assists. He didn’t dress in any playoff games for the Bruins.

While the buyout will hurt Reilly’s pocketbook it does seem likely that an NHL team will give him another look, although it will probably come at a very reduced salary. The free agent market is thin, but Reilly can offer a team veteran experience at a low cost. He does have his shortcomings though, as mentioned earlier he is very limited offensively and he struggles with his gap control as well as defending the rush. Should he find himself in an NHL lineup he would be best suited for a sheltered role on a third pairing.

Snapshots: Talbot, Toews, Reilly, Lalonde

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The Senators should be getting some help between the pipes soon as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Cam Talbot is expected to return to the lineup sometime this week.  He has been out for the last three weeks due to an oblique muscle injury.  The 35-year-old has a 2.85 GAA and a .905 SV% in 32 games this season, numbers that aren’t the greatest but at the moment, Ottawa is trying to hang in the race for a Wild Card spot in the East with rookies Mads Sogaard and Dylan Ferguson.  Accordingly, getting Talbot back should give them a boost for the final few games.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has been out for nearly two months due to symptoms from long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome but hasn’t given up on returning this season. To that end, head coach Luke Richardson told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the center has been skating in an effort to get back before the end of the campaign.  There was a recent report that Toews may be considering retirement and if that’s true, that could be fueling his desire to get back for the final few games.
  • Bruins defenseman Mike Reilly suffered a serious injury in the minors today, one that saw him knocked unconscious and stretchered off the ice. Fortunately, AHL Providence announced after the game (Twitter link) that he is alert, conscious, and able to walk around.  The veteran has spent the bulk of the year in the minors but is likely to be a Black Ace recall at some point in Boston’s playoff run.
  • The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that they’ve reassigned goaltender Nolan Lalonde from OHL Erie to AHL Cleveland. The 19-year-old signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent in October but had a tough year in junior, posting a 4.09 GAA along with a .868 SV% in 41 games with the Otters.  With Jon Gillies being recalled today and Daniil Tarasov being injured in Cleveland’s game today, Lalonde could have a path to make his pro debut fairly soon.

Nikita Zaitsev Assigned To AHL, Two Placed On Waivers

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November 18: After clearing waivers last week. the Senators have now officially sent Zaitsev to the AHL’s Belleville Senators.

November 9: Three players have hit waivers today, including some rather expensive defensemen. Mike Reilly has been waived by the Boston Bruins for the second time this season, now that his clock needed to be reset. If a player suits up for 10 NHL games or spends 30 days on the active roster after clearing waivers, they must clear again before being sent down.

With Charlie McAvoy expected to be activated in the coming days, the Bruins needed to open a roster spot and some cap space. Reilly’s $3MM won’t come off the books entirely if sent down to the minor leagues, however, meaning the team may need to make another transaction like moving Derek Forbort to long-term injured reserve to make the financials work.

The Ottawa Senators have also placed Nikita Zaitsev and Magnus Hellberg on waivers, a disappointing outcome for the former who signed a seven-year, $31.5MM contract in 2017 only to see his play deteriorate substantially in the seasons since. Zaitsev has played in seven of the Senators games this season and saw fewer than 12 minutes of ice time last night against the Vancouver Canucks. He was on the ice for two goals against despite those limited minutes and has been unable to provide consistent defensive effort for the team.

If he clears, the veteran defenseman can be sent to the minor leagues, giving the Senators a bit of cap relief. He will still make his entire salary in the AHL, however, not something that Ottawa likes to do with high-priced talent.

Hellberg, meanwhile, seems like the most reasonable target of the three for any team that is looking for some goaltending help. Nabbed from the Seattle Kraken before the season began, he stopped 29 of 30 shots in his only appearance with the Senators and recently had a long run of success in the KHL. The 6’6″ netminder wasn’t needed anymore with Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg healthy, but could be an asset for other teams.

East Notes: Reilly, Johnson, Atkinson

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While the Bruins sent Mike Reilly back to AHL Providence earlier this week, he’s not in their lineup tonight and Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that the defenseman is hoping for a trade.  Reilly cleared waivers back in training camp in large part due to his contract which carries a $3MM AAV through next season.  Unsurprisingly, no one wanted to pick up that full deal but if Boston is open to retaining part of the salary, then a swap might become more palatable.  The Bruins are currently carrying a $1.875MM cap charge with the 29-year-old being parked in the minors so being able to offload even some of that would help alleviate a tight cap situation.  Divver notes that it’s unknown if there is something in the works at the moment.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • It was a tough day on the injury front for the Blue Jackets today with Zach Werenski being ruled out for the year while Nick Blankenburg will miss several weeks as well. However, there was one piece of good news as Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch relays (Twitter link) that forward Kent Johnson will return to the lineup on Saturday after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury.  The 20-year-old is off to a nice start to his first full professional campaign with three goals and three assists through 11 games.
  • Flyers winger Cam Atkinson skated with the team yesterday in Columbus as he continues to work his way back from an upper-body injury, notes Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The injury, one that originally had him listed as day-to-day in training camp, has now caused him to miss the first 13 games of the year and counting as there remains no timeline for his return.  Atkinson was second on the team in scoring last season with 50 points and would be a welcome addition to a Philadelphia lineup that sits in the bottom five in goals scored in the early going.

Seattle Kraken Claim Magnus Hellberg

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After a short vacation in Ottawa, Magnus Hellberg is a Seattle Kraken once more. The veteran goaltender has been reclaimed by Seattle off waivers today. Mike Reilly and Nikita Zaitsev, who were on waivers with him, both cleared.

Hellberg, 31, returned from five years in the KHL last season to play one game for the Detroit Red Wings and show he was ready for an NHL job. After signing a one-way contract with Seattle in early July, he ended up on waivers as the season began. With the Senators dealing with an injury to Cam Talbot, they snagged the 6’6″ netminder but gave him just a single start. Hellberg posted a .935 save percentage in his one game, winning it.

Given the injuries to Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger, it always made a lot of sense for the Kraken to bring Hellberg back. The team has been relying heavily on Martin Jones through the first part of the year, who, to his credit, has posted a 7-3-1 record and .907 save percentage. Joey Daccord, the backup by default, has seen just a single appearance since Grubauer went down.

The Kraken have actually been excellent of late, winning their last five to take second place in the Pacific Division. That is despite the below-average goaltending they’ve received, a similar story to a year ago. Grubauer was brutal again to start the year and even with Jones’ better performance, they could still use a few more saves to really put them over the top. If Hellberg can show a consistent presence in the net, there is a real opportunity for him to see NHL minutes.

The team has not yet announced what their plan is for the big netminder, but if they were the only club to submit a claim, he could be assigned directly to the minor leagues without clearing again.

Boston Bruins Activate Brad Marchand

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4:35 PM: The Bruins have now made Marchand’s return official. Per the team release, Marchand has been activated off of injured reserve.

In a corresponding move, the Bruins have assigned defenseman Mike Reilly to the AHL’s Providence Bruins, clearing the open roster spot needed to facilitate Marchand’s return. Reilly has previously cleared waivers and will head to Providence having played in all seven of the Bruins’ games this season. Reilly has one assist in those seven games and is playing on a $3MM cap hit that expires in the summer of 2024.

10:19 AM: It was all a ruse, apparently. After telling reporters just yesterday that Brad Marchand wasn’t ready to return, head coach Jim Montgomery has informed reporters including Conor Ryan of the Boston Sports Journal that the veteran winger will indeed play tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. Marchand won’t travel with the team for tomorrow’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, as they ease him into the lineup.

Marchand, 34, was originally scheduled to be out until Thanksgiving, meaning his return tonight is a month ahead of the original plan. It did seem as though they were ready for this when he skated yesterday on the top line, powerplay unit, and even led the stretch.

While he may not be playing in both halves of a back-to-back for the next little while, getting Marchand back in the mix is a huge boost for the Bruins, who are already playing well. The team is 6-1 through the early part of the season and has an early grip on the top of the Atlantic Division. Adding a player who has had six straight seasons of production well over a point per game should only help the team continue to dominate.

The team will have to make a corresponding roster move to activate Marchand, and it isn’t entirely clear what that will be. Nick Foligno and Mike Reilly did clear waivers earlier this month, but otherwise, there aren’t any players who are exempt.

Three Bruins Defensemen Undergo Surgery

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A trio of Boston Bruins defensemen underwent significant surgeries today, with two of them expected to miss the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, per the team. Most notably, Charlie McAvoy had a left shoulder arthroscopic stabilization procedure that’s set to sideline him for six months, meaning he won’t make his season debut until early December. Additionally, Matt Grzelcyk will miss five months after a right shoulder open stabilization procedure and Mike Reilly will miss three months after a right ankle tendon repair and removal of bone fragments.

They all join forward Brad Marchand, who’s also expected to be out until late November, on the injured list for the B’s.

Having Marchand and McAvoy out of the lineup, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Patrice Bergeron’s NHL future, will be incredibly tough to navigate for this Bruins squad. Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak will be relied on very heavily for the first weeks of the season to keep the team from imploding.

However, if there’s good out of any of this for Bruins fans, it’s salary considerations. With Grzelcyk, Marchand, and McAvoy potential candidates for long-term injured reserve out of the gate, the team could have upwards of $15MM set aside on LTIR. This would give the team ample time into the season to figure out their salary picture, rather than just being constrained by the offseason. Prior to the injuries, the Bruins had just $4MM in cap space without Bergeron on the roster. The team had no real flexibility in free agency, but that might change if they can play their cards right.

It’s still a gutting loss, though, to have a top-ten defenseman in the league out of the lineup. Trade Deadline acquisition Hampus Lindholm will need to live up to his extension immediately, and that’s a lot of pressure for an also injury-prone defenseman. Head coach Bruce Cassidy will open the 2022-23 season undoubtedly facing the rockiest road he’s had so far as coach of this team. The team’s goal will be desperation mode until their stars are back, hopefully not falling too far back of the strong Atlantic Division pack.

Bo Horvat, Mike Reilly Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks have both announced new additions to the COVID protocol today, obviously affecting their lineup for tonight’s action.

In Vancouver, it’s captain Bo Horvat that is now unavailable to the club, as they look to try and put another dash in the win column this evening. Horvat was a huge part of the team’s win Sunday night against the Washington Capitals, scoring the game-winning goal and registering an assist in more than 20 minutes of ice time. Those two points took his season total to 23 in 38 games, good for fourth on the team and third among forwards.

His absence will be felt all over the ice but perhaps most in the faceoff dot, where he takes more than twice as many draws as anyone else on the Canucks roster. In fact, Horvat leads all NHL players in faceoffs this season, taking 891 through 38 games so far. His 503 wins sit just barely behind Patrice Bergeron for the league lead; the Bruins captain has an incredible 63% win rate this season.

Boston meanwhile will be without Mike Reilly, who enters the protocol after playing more than 21 minutes on Saturday night against the Nashville Predators (Nashville will face Vancouver tonight). The 28-year-old defenseman has found a home with the Bruins, where he has seen more ice time than anywhere else on his NHL journey and contributes in all situations. While he has just nine points in 32 games this season, Reilly’s puck-moving ability is an important piece of the puzzle for Boston.

Luckily, Matt Grzelcyk is set to return after his own stint on the COVID protocol, meaning the Bruins won’t really miss a beat. Urho Vaakanainen will also be afforded a bit more time with the big club, something he has taken advantage of in recent days. The young defenseman will skate beside Charlie McAvoy and very well could break the 20-minute mark for the fourth consecutive game.

Coyle, Forbort Expected To Step Into Top Roles For Bruins

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With the unexpected departure of David Krejci, the unknown status of injured Tuukka Rask, and a shockingly busy first day of free agency that included adding a number of top names, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Boston Bruins and how they may look next season. With so many possible lineup combinations and the team having yet to even practice together once, it would be understandable to leave fans wondering how the team may be structured in 2021-22. However, head coach Bruce Cassidy is not afraid to hint at his plans. Speaking with beat writer Eric Russo, Cassidy was open about who he sees stepping into some of the most important vacancies in the Bruins lineup.

First and foremost on the minds of most is who will step into Krejci’s role as second line center, especially after Taylor Hall was re-signed following stellar production with Krejci and Craig Smith. Well, despite some speculation to the contrary, Occam’s Razor prevails. Third line center Charlie Coyle will indeed get the first shot at centering the second line, as Cassidy called him the “obvious choice”. Coyle may be coming off of the worst offensive season of his career, but the two-way forward will be healthy this season following off-season knee surgeries and will look to return to form, which is a player whose career full-season scoring pace is 40 points. Cassidy notes that with Hall and Smith having experience playing together and Coyle and Smith also having played together, the familiarity that the three would share makes it an easy initial choice as the team’s second line. However, Cassidy does note that free agent additions Erik Haula and Tomas Nosek both play their best at center as well and could be next in line if Coyle is not a fit.

On defense, while some were content with the Bruins’ most frequent top pair of Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy, not everyone was convinced. Count Cassidy among that group. The head coach opined that the role may have been asking too much of Grzelcyk. He believes that free agent addition Derek Forbort, who plays a much more defensive and physical style, could in fact be the better match with McAvoy. Cassidy stated that between competing for that role and likely playing alongside Brandon Carlo on the top penalty kill unit, Forbort will be expected to play “big minutes”. Of course, Forbort will have to prove himself worthy, as Grzelcyk has the advantage of being the incumbent. Cassidy noted that Mike Reilly will likely continue to play with Carlo, but that too could change if Grzelcyk is bumped from the top pair.

Elsewhere on the roster, Cassidy firmly stated his support for Connor Clifton as getting the first shot as the regular third pair right-handed defenseman in the wake of Kevan Miller’s retirement. However, he also noted that youngsters Jakub Zboril and Urho Vaakanainen as well as recovering veteran John Moore all have experience playing their off side and will compete for opportunity. In the bottom-six, Cassidy offered a vote of confidence for Jake DeBrusk retaining his starting job as third line left wing, while also advocating for top prospect Jack Studnicka to get a look for a roster spot. With the versatility of additions Haula, Nosek, and Nick Foligno, there are plenty of potential combinations on that third line and there is a high likelihood of a more offensive fourth line in Boston than in years with the overflow of the third line position battle matched with the likes of Curtis Lazar and Trent Frederic. In goal, Cassidy did not just announce free agent splurge Linus Ullmark as the new starter; in fact quite the contrary. Cassidy expects Ullmark and breakout rookie Jeremy Swayman “to compete for the majority of the starts.” While Ullmark was compensated like a starter by the Bruins in both salary and term, Cassidy notes that Swayman will be given a fair chance to “come in and potentially be the No. 1.”

How it all plays out in Boston remains to be seen, but Cassidy did not hold anything back about his thought and plans for the current roster. That should give fans of the Bruins and their Atlantic Division rivals something more concrete to consider as the days tick down to the start of the regular season.

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