The New York Islanders have re-signed defenseman Mike Reilly to a one-year contract worth $1.25 million.
Reilly as a Defenseman
Reilly was claimed on waivers by the Islanders on Nov. 25 of last season and scored six goals and 18 assists in 59 games. His opportunity came from a slew of injuries sustained by Islanders defensemen, and he made the most of it. He quickly became a fan favorite for his offensive spark and timely contributions.
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Heading into the 2023-24 season, Reilly had never played a full season for an NHL team. He was used to being bounced in and out of the lineup, having a revolving door of defensive partners and rarely finding his footing. While the point production speaks for itself, his defensive contributions should not go unrecognized.
Reilly finished the 2023-24 season with a 55.7 expected goals percentage (xG%), the third-highest of any Islanders skater and the highest of any Islanders defenseman according to Moneypuck. As well, he finished with a 55 xG% in the playoffs, as just one of four Islanders’ skaters above 50%. His IQ and instinct were imperative to the Islanders’ success, as by the end of the season, he was frequently deployed in the final few minutes of close games as a shutdown defenseman. While that will not be his role moving forward, it is nice to see he is able to contribute in all aspects of the game.
Fit with the Islanders
Reilly was an immediate success on the Islanders, which is not going to change this season. With Alexander Romanov and Adam Pelech headlining the left side of the defense, Reilly’s role will be reduced to the third pair. While that may mean we will not see much of him, his new role will help the Islanders in other ways.
Not only will Reilly continue on the power play, likely as the second unit’s quarterback, but he will help rejuvenate Scott Mayfield’s career. Mayfield’s 2023-24 season was one of the worst in hockey, likely due to the lower-body injury he sustained in Game 1 of the regular season. Even with this injury, Mayfield found success when paired with Reilly.
As a pairing, Reilly and Mayfield had a 49.7 xG% in 24 games together. Success typically came when Reilly applied pressure and Mayfield controlled the center of the ice, but Mayfield’s lack of side-to-side mobility was the pairing’s downfall. With assurance by general manager Lou Lamoriello that Mayfield will be healthy by training camp, there is strong reason to believe he will improve next season. And, well, playing alongside Reilly will be his best chance at bouncing back as he was the partner he saw the most success with in terms of xG%.
