The Florida Panthers, still healing up from their long and gruelling run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, continue to deepen their defense corps. After they already signed defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on a one-year deal Saturday, the Panthers have added UFA Mike Reilly on a one-year, $1 million contract.
Reilly, like Ekman-Larsson, had just been bought out by his previous team – in this case the Boston Bruins. Reilly, 29, will already be earning 2,666,667 in buyout money from the Bruins over the next two seasons, so the extra $1 million from the Panthers is gravy.
Reilly first broke into the NHL when he signed with the Minnesota Wild in 2015-16. They had signed him following a standout college career at the University of Minnesota. His mobile game didn’t immediately translate to significant offense at the NHL level. He bounced around between the Wild, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators over his first five seasons. But in 2020-21, the switch flicked and he became roughly a half-point-per-game blueliner with Ottawa, attracting the interest of the Bruins, who acquired him leading up to the trade deadline. Impressed with his performance, they re-signed Reilly on a three-year, $9 million deal. He struggled to maintain his new standard of production, however, picking up four goals and 18 points in 80 games over the first two years of his deal. Reilly only played 10 games in 2022-23, spending most of his season with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence.
The Panthers, however, will give him a chance to re-establish himself as a mobile depth blueliner. That said: Reilly, like OEL, is a left shot. Bringing him in – same goes for lefty Nikko Mikkola – still does not address the holes on the right side of Florida’s defense with top options Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour both out after shoulder surgeries and not guaranteed to be ready when the 2023-24 season starts.
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