NEW YORK, NY — Everyone was holding their breath when New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly hit the ice and didn’t move on Friday night in Buffalo.
Once Bo Horvat started signaling to the bench, adamantly hurrying over anyone who could help, it was clear Reilly was in trouble.
You could see the concern from his teammates.
After he finally sat up and got off the ice with the help of Anders Lee and the trainer, we knew he wasn’t coming back.
Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
“It was scary,” Kyle MacLean said. “Obviously, when somebody is out on the ice, and it’s a head injury, it’s scary, especially seeing the stretcher come out. So it was good to see that he’s alright. He kind of got off the ice on his own accord there. He skated off. So, really scary.”
It seemed clear, from the replay, that Reilly had been knocked unconscious, likely meaning a concussion.
But we learned before leaving KeyBank Center that Reilly would be able to travel home with the team.
“He was in the locker room afterward, which was nice, MacLean said. He was like, ‘Yeah, I’m alright’. Still a scary situation with the head injury, but yeah, he was in the locker room after.
That was surprising to hear but a sure positive that, outside of being knocked out, which is never a good thing, he avoided getting severely injured.
The way he landed, Reilly is extremely fortunate that he didn’t suffer a neck or a back injury.
There’s no timetable for how long Reilly will be out. As of now, he is day-to-day, per Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello.
With Adam Pelech out 4-6 weeks, too, the Islanders require a left-handed defenseman and are on the lookout.
Lamoriello said you are always looking to improve, especially now with all the injuries.
“I think you’re always doing that. But obviously, when you have a couple of players that go down the way they did, you certainly are paying attention to whatever can be and cannot be done,” Lamoriello said.
Coincidentally enough, Reilly was a waiver-wire pick-up last season in late November after Pelech and Sebastian Aho were hurt in a game against the Ottawa Senators.
So, what are the Islanders’ options?
It’s impossible to know who we will be available on waivers, but on the trade market, a few names come to mind.
The Islanders have $9.15 million in available cap space after Mathew Barzal’s $9.15 million joined Anthony Duclair’s $3.5 million on long-term injured reserve.
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Erik Gustafsson, who played for the New York Rangers last season and someone who the Islanders brought to training camp on a professional tryout in 2021, is playing his offside and has been healthy scratched four times in 11 games.
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
He carries a cap hit of $2 million and has two assists this season.
Could Erik Brannstrom from Vancouver be an option?
The 25-year-old suffered a similar fate to Reilly against the Islanders after a Cal Clutterbuck hit—he had to be stretchered off—and is a defenseman that the Islanders likely had their radar on when he was with the Ottawa Senators.
This summer, Brannstrom signed a one-year deal with the Canucks, worth $900,000. He is currently playing his off-side on their bottom pairing.
He does kill penalties, too, which is huge.
Brendan Smith in Dallas is on a one-year deal worth $1 million and has only played in five of their 11 games this season.
He’s a physical presence and can play on the penalty kill.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Every team knows that the Islanders are in need of a left-side defenseman, with Grant Hutton likely playing his off-side against the Rangers on Sunday.
So, that means the Islanders do not have leverage.
However, all three players listed aren’t top-flight players, just depth options, and two of the three are not even playing every game.
Mid to late-round draft picks should do the trick.
