Defenseman Mike Reilly sidelined after head injury in Islanders’ win over Sabres, with no timetable for return
Defenseman Mike Reilly of the New York Islanders has been reported as out indefinitely due to an upper-body injury, according to Stefen Rosner from The Hockey News. Reilly has been unavailable since sustaining a head injury during the team’s victory against the Buffalo Sabres on November 1st.
He was first labeled as day-to-day following the injury but will now be sidelined for the foreseeable future due to what has been described as a concussion.
Reilly’s lack of presence creates a noticeable gap in the New York roster. Although his playing time has been somewhat limited, he has acted as a reliable depth choice since being picked up off waivers from the Florida Panthers last summer.
He joined the Islanders at their most critical time – right amid injuries to Adam Pelech, Sebastian Aho, and Ryan Pulock. Those absences allowed Reilly to average slightly more than 17 minutes of ice time across 59 games with New York.
He performed well in the role, surpassing the 20-point mark (24) for only the second occasion in his decade-long career. However, both his position and his scoring have diminished this year, as Reilly is averaging 15:45 in ice time and has not scored in 11 games this season.
New York is also without Adam Pelech and Alexander Romanov – effectively emptying the entire left side of their blue line. The team’s seventh defenseman, Dennis Cholowski, teamed up with call-up Samuel Bolduc to address the depleted depth chart – but neither was particularly dependable.
This prompted New York to bring back rookie Isaiah George, who has displayed the qualities of the elite defender that the Islanders require. George has averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time in his first two professional games, blocking four shots and adeptly managing the speed of the NHL defense.
He hasn’t scored the first point of his career yet, but he should maintain a solid role in the Islanders’ top-four as they await the return of their defense to health.
The Islanders have also been linked to speculation about left-defenders in the trade or waiver market, and could swiftly find a replacement for George if he struggles in a sustained position.
Romanov is still sidelined daily due to an upper-body injury.
Image Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
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