The Florida Panthers placed defenseman Mike Reilly on waivers on Friday.
Reilly played in just two games with the Panthers since signing with the team as an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
He did not record a point and was a minus-2.
“If you were asking this before the opening game, I would say Mike would be within the first three or four games,” Panthers coach Maurice said before he made his team debut against the Blue Jackets.
”But they played well and because we have four new guys, I was a bit reluctant to start pulling defensemen in and out of the lineup. He’s practice really hard and we’ve had a couple of games where some of our defense hasn’t been fantastic, so it’s a perfect time to get a guy in.
“Everybody’s kind of got their feet wet, and I think when you take a player out now, he’ll come back in with some confidence and some edge.”
Reilly’s $1 million salary would come off the books regardless of whether a team claims him or he is sent down to the minors after going unclaimed.
The Panthers would have just under $1.5 million in cap space with Reilly off the roster.
Florida would be at 22 players on the roster with Josh Mahura on injured reserve.
Maurice said Mahura would need another five-to-seven days to return to the lineup from a lower-body injury.
The move could open up space for the Panthers to sign former Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane, who many NHL insiders believe them to be front-runners to acquire.
More must-reads: