Mike Reilly Injury: Isles D-man's undetected heart condition revealed after scary hit

By Mike Whitaker

Modified Nov 19, 2024 02:39 GMT

The New York Islanders will be without defenseman Mike Reilly for the foreseeable future, as he's set to undergo a heart procedure later this week.

The abnormality was discovered by medical personnel while Reilly was undergoing concussion testing, for which he was cleared. However, the testing revealed a previously undiagnosed cardiovascular issue that wasn't related to the hit he took.

According to Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello, Reilly is fortunate that the issue was discovered in time to be able to correct it.

"It was picked up through the different echocardiograms that you do for different reasons that you go through with any post-concussion situation," Lamoriello said via NHL.com. "It's probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired. They detected this, something that you're sometimes born with, but never knew."

Reilly is anticipated to enjoy a complete quality of life after the procedure, and he'll also be able to eventually return to playing professional hockey.

"[His quality of life will be] 100% and he will be able to play once this procedure is done," Lamoriello added. "It takes quite a bit of time. It could be several months before he's back, because of the type of procedure."

Without Reilly, the Islanders will next hit the ice on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Mike Reilly was claimed by Islanders last season from Florida Panthers

A native of Chicago, Reilly was originally selected with the No. 98 overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, he never suited up in Columbus and instead eventually signed with the Minnesota Wild after playing collegiately with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

He then became somewhat of a journeyman, spending time playing with the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins, even inking a three-year contract extension with the Bruins in 2021.

But he was subsequently waived by the Bruins in 2022 thanks to subpar performances on the ice; and without any takers, he played the remainder of the year in the American Hockey League before signing with the Florida Panthers on the first day of free agency in 2021.

Later on, he would be waived by the Panthers as well before being claimed by the Islanders, with whom he has played since November of 2023. Last season, he scored a career-high six goals at the NHL level.

This season, he's gone pointless in 11 games played so far with a +1 rating.