Islanders' Mike Reilly off long-term injured reserve after 'crushing' heart condition diagnosis
Mike Reilly of the Islanders skates against the Florida Panthers at UBS Arena on Oct. 26, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
SAN JOSE, Calif. — “Crushing.”
This was four months ago, about a week after Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly suffered a concussion on Nov. 1 after taking a high hit from the Sabres’ Jordan Greenway. During a visit to a specialist to deal with his head injury, a condition was detected in his heart that ultimately required surgery.
On Saturday, Reilly, 31, was finally activated off long-term injured reserve before the Islanders opened a three-game California swing against the Sharks at SAP Center. Reilly said he was not sure when he would return to the lineup — particularly with the Islanders currently having nine healthy defensemen — but coach Patrick Roy said he did not expect it would be on this trip.
“We found something that could lead to what I had,” Reilly said after Saturday’s morning skate in his first public comments since getting injured. “I was going to see a specialist for my head and for something to come out of that a day later that something was heart related, yeah, it was crushing. When I got all that news, it was a lot.”
Still, the good news for Reilly was his heart surgeon quickly allayed any fears that his condition would end his NHL career. Surgery fixed the issue and Reilly stressed it is not an on-going or long-term concern.
“I’m very happy for him, there’s no doubt about it,” Roy said. “Four months now. It’s nice to see someone that has so much passion for the game and now having the chance to be healthy and ready to play. We’re going to let him practice for a bit and see how it goes.”
“It’s been tough,” Reilly said. “A long time off. I don’t know if there was a definitive date on when I’d be cleared. From the day of the surgery, it was around the three-month mark was my follow-up and more scans to see if I was healed. I was hoping the three-month mark, which was about two weeks ago, once I passed that I was able to get off some medications and get cleared.”
The recovery was a lonely existence for Reilly, who said he did reach out to others who had been through the same heart-related condition. For the most part, he was skating on his own and unable to be around his teammates, especially when they were traveling.
The Islanders claimed the 10-season veteran — who has played for five NHL teams — off waivers from the Panthers last season and he immediately jumped into their regular rotation, notching six goals and 18 assists in 59 games and playing in all five of their playoff matches.
He started this season in the Islanders’ top six but did not have a point in 11 games before suffering his concussion and, ultimately, losing most of the season.
“Like I said, it was tough,” Reilly said. “There was just so much time off. It felt like last year when I got here, I kind of got the love of the game back a little bit after a tough year with Florida. When I got here last year, I thought things went well and the group is great. I was looking to build off of that going into this year. I was maybe as excited as I’ve been going into a year in quite some time. Eleven games in, it takes a 180.”
Reilly’s concussion/heart condition was just one of the injuries to wrack the Islanders’ defense corps this season. Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Alexander Romanov and Scott Mayfield have all missed time. Romanov and Pelech were also hurt in the same second period in Buffalo during which Reilly was concussed. That led president/general manager Lou Lamoriello to sign Tony DeAngelo out of the KHL, trade for Scott Perunovich and claim Adam Boqvist off waivers.
So even with Reilly activated off LTIR, there’s a question of how he now fits back into the lineup.
“We’ve got nine defensemen right now,” Reilly said. “I’m just trying to get back with this group of guys here and trying to get my rhythm and timing back. I think there’s still a need for me here. When that is, I don’t have a definitive date on that. But I’m confident and I feel like it’s been a good fit with me with Patty [Roy] and the rest of the guys and what I bring.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
