Mike Reilly

Buffalo Sabres Trade Marco Scandella, Acquire Michael Frolik

January 2, 2020 at 5:31 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 11 Comments

After trading away Mike Reilly, the Montreal Canadiens have gone out and found themselves a different defenseman. The Canadiens have acquired Marco Scandella from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for San Jose’s 2020 fourth-round pick. The Sabres then flipped that pick to acquire Michael Frolik from the Calgary Flames. No salary was retained in either transaction.

All season the Sabres had been looking to move one of their surplus defenseman to free up some cap space, and Scandella was essentially replaceable even if he was playing well of late. Buffalo has several other capable NHL defensemen, including some sitting in the minor leagues waiting for their opportunity. By moving the 29-year old Scandella and his $4MM cap hit out, they freed up enough room to bring in another forward that can help Jack Eichel create some offense.

Frolik, 31, comes to the Sabres after being the subject of many trade rumors over the last few years. There were times when it seemed he had completely run out of patience with the Flames organization, and times where they seemed to feel the same about him. Still, he continued playing for them and recorded 16 goals and 34 points in 65 games last season while providing solid penalty killing ability whenever asked. This season has brought ten points in 38 games, but given his average of fewer than 12 minutes a night it would have been difficult to provide much more offense.

In Buffalo, he’ll surely get a chance to be more of a contributor on that side of the puck. A Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, Frolik has actually been a relatively consistent goal-scorer the last several years, recording double digit totals in each of the last six seasons. If the Sabres want to make the playoffs this season they absolutely needed to add more scoring punch up front.

For Montreal, a team that may now be overlooked in this busy night, swapping Reilly for Scandella provides an upgrade in experience and defensive capability. While the young defenseman may be more mobile and at one point provided a little more offensive upside, Scandella is nearing 600 games played at the NHL level and should help their group find a little more balance.

The Canadiens have been relying heavily on their top three names this year with Shea Weber, Jeff Petry and Ben Chiarot all logging more than 23 minutes a night, but will hope that Scandella can take some of that load off their shoulders. The Montreal native also has a ton of experience on the penalty kill, where the Canadiens currently rank 25th in the NHL.

Scandella is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, meaning their overall moves have also removed an NHL contract from the books for next season when they are expecting prospects like Alexander Romanov to compete for spots.

Calgary also changes tonight, opening up some room of their own by ridding themselves of Frolik’s $4.3MM cap hit. That gives the Flames some extra flexibility of their own as they try to claw their way back into the Pacific Division race. The Flames will be a team to watch moving forward as they try to right the ship.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ottawa Senators Acquire Mike Reilly

January 2, 2020 at 5:02 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens have traded Mike Reilly to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick and minor league forward Andrew Sturtz. The Canadiens then turned around and acquired a defenseman of their own in another deal.

Reilly, 26, hasn’t been able to establish himself as a full-time option for the Canadiens this season, despite some strong play last year for them when the team was dealing with injuries. Re-signed last June to a two-year, $3MM deal, the Senators will get some cost certainty in their new defender as they try to rebuild a defense corps.

In Ottawa, Reilly comes to a group that has dealt with injury after injury this season with the likes of Nikita Zaitsev, Ron Hainsey and Dylan DeMelo all going down for long stretches. With the latter two also scheduled for unrestricted free agency—along with Mark Borowiecki—there will be opportunity for Reilly to really set himself up as an everyday player.

Getting a fifth-round selection back for Reilly essentially replaces the pick they traded to the Minnesota Wild in 2018 to get him in the first place, and adds to the huge total that Montreal has amassed for the next few drafts. The Canadiens also clear a contract off the books for next season as Sturtz will be a restricted free agent and could very well go unqualified.

Montreal Canadiens Re-Sign Mike Reilly

June 26, 2019 at 9:35 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens issued a qualifying offer to defenseman Mike Reilly yesterday, but he won’t need it. The two sides have agreed to terms on a two-year contract that will carry a $1.5MM average annual value. Reilly will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the deal.

If you were to start a conversation about last season’s Montreal blue line names like Shea Weber, Jeff Petry and Victor Mete would obviously come up first. Perhaps a mention of Jordie Benn’s career year, or Karl Alzner’s rapid decline. Eventually though you might get to Reilly, who quietly established himself as a full-time NHL option by playing in 57 games and more than holding his own. The 25-year old defenseman had just 11 points, but averaged nearly 19 minutes a night—easily the highest number of his career.

This contract is a reward for that performance, but also one that gives Reilly an even bigger opportunity. He will have the chance to set himself up for a much more lucrative deal in free agency two years from now if he can continue to grow and develop his game at both ends of the rink. A quiet contributor is exactly what many teams are looking for to lengthen out their defense corps, a purpose Reilly will serve once again this season behind the more well known names listed above.

Arriving in Montreal in exchange for a fifth-round pick, the young defenseman has been one of the many shrewd moves Montreal GM Marc Bergevin has made over the last several seasons to add some depth to his club. The Canadiens now have six defensemen signed to one-way contracts for 2019-20, plus Mete and Noah Juulsen still on their entry-level deals.

Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Harpur, Maple Leafs, Reilly

October 14, 2018 at 4:51 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 3 Comments

As if the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander negotiations weren’t getting enough attention, NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that KHL Avangard Omsk head coach Bob Hartley, whose team owns the KHL rights to Nylander, would love to have the winger come play for them.

“I would like to see William in my team,” Hartley said. “I know his father. That would be great.”

Negotiations between the two sides have not fared well with rumors that Nylander’s camp is asking for $8MM per season, while the Maple Leafs refuse to offer a record-breaking deal and are rumored to be closer to $6MM per season. An earlier report even suggests that Toronto’s latest offer was a four-year deal worth well under $20MM and the team is not interested in trading the 22-year-old.

Nylander could opt to sign a deal with Avangard Omsk, although that seems unlikely as he’d prefer to play in the NHL, but obviously Nylander’s camp is hoping the possible threat of sitting out the season might bring up Toronto’s offer.

The Ottawa Senators got another impressive performance from one of their young players Saturday when defenseman Ben Harpur finally made his season debut. The 23-year-old had been a healthy scratch up to now, but made an immediate physical impact to the game when he put a major hit on Los Angeles Kings winger Alex Iafallo early in the game. The 6-foot-6, 222-pound blueliner didn’t register a point in their 5-1 win over the Kings, but played so well, he led the team in ice time, playing 22:37, according to Don Brennan of The Ottawa Sun. Harpur was teamed with veteran Mark Borowiecki on a pairing assigned to shutdown the Kings’ top line of Anze Kopitar, Ilya Kovalchuk and Iafallo. That line finished with no points and just six shots on goal.
The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (subscription required) gives credit to general manager Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs for the signings of center Par Lindholm and defenseman Igor Ozhiganov, who both have made quite an impact on the Maple Leafs already loaded roster, giving them another two “free” additions on a team that needs as many cheap options as possible. Lindholm potted his first career NHL goal Saturday, while Ozhiganov had his best game yet, according to head coach Mike Babcock. The team has already done a good job in past years, bringing in foreign players on cheap deals, including defenseman Nikita Zaitsev as well as Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman.
The Montreal Canadiens feel they have found an answer to who will eventually play alongside Shea Weber when he returns later this year. The team has been really impressed with the play of Mike Reilly, who has been a big part of the team’s 2-1-1 start so far this season, according to The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required). He has done a good job moving the puck with his speed. He faced up against Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby twice and while the numbers don’t support it, Crosby wasn’t a major factor in either game. “It’s a good challenge, but I love it,” Reilly said after the Canadiens’ 4-3 shootout win Saturday. “I like to compete, I have high expectations, so it’s always fun to go out against guys like that.”

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Montreal Canadiens

September 2, 2018 at 3:10 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Montreal Canadiens

Current Cap Hit: $71,687,975 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Jesperi Kotkaniemi (three years, $925K)
F Nikita Scherbak (one year, $863K)
D Noah Juulsen (two years, $863K)
F Artturi Lehkonen (one year, $839K)
D Victor Mete (two years, $748K)

Potential Bonuses:

Kotkaniemi: $2.5MM
Juulsen: $425K
Mete: $183K
Scherbak: $175K

Total: $3.28MM

It’s too early to tell if the Canadiens intend to thrust Kotkaniemi onto an NHL roster. Most people feel that the third-overall pick from this year’s draft still needs another year to get bigger and develop his skills, but Montreal is desperate for help at the center position and could consider the 18-year-old to make the leap. Regardless, whether he comes to the NHL now of in the near future, the team does have a franchise center they can look forward to placing into the top-six soon.

Mete had a turbulent rookie season after surprising many by making the team out of training camp. The 20-year-old was brought in to complement Weber due to his speed and puckhandling skills, but he struggled at times and eventually was moved out of the top four and was almost sent back to juniors. In the end, the youngster played 49 games, but with a year of experience under his belt, he is expected to take on a top-four role this season. Juulsen is another solid prospect who should get some time, although more likely in a third-pairing situation.

Scherbak could be the most interesting player. The 22-year-old was a point-a-game player with the Laval Rocket in the AHL, but when recalled to Montreal, he was immediately injured and wasn’t able to capitalize on his opportunity. Scherbak didn’t get the minutes once he returned, scoring four goals in 26 games. However, he might get a chance to gain a regular role this year if he can make a strong impression in camp this year.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Max Pacioretty ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Tomas Plekanec ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Joel Armia ($1.85MM, RFA)
F Paul Byron ($1.17MM, UFA)
D Jordie Benn ($1.1MM, UFA)
G Antti Niemi ($950K, UFA)
D Mike Reilly ($725K, RFA)
D Xavier Ouellet ($700K, RFA)
F Charles Hudon ($650K, UFA)

Much has been said about Pacioretty over the past few months and even in the past week, but as of now, it looks like the 29-year-old is going to end up back on the first line, barring a trade. The team captain is coming off a disappointing 17-goal season after five straight years of 30-goal campaigns (not including the strike-shortened season in 2012-13). The team will have to determine whether they believe last year’s season was a fluke or whether he’s beginning to decline. The team has already committed to several major contracts and adding another one could be detrimental to a team who should rebuild. If he can prove his value with a bounce back season, the team may look to lock him up.

The 35-year-old Plekanec returns after the team traded him away at the trade deadline. He lacks the offense from the old days, but Plekanec still provides an excellent presence as a bottom-six center who has the experience and solid face-off skills, although his six goals and 20 assists is a career low. Byron is coming off a pair of 20-goal seasons for the Canadiens, but is expected to miss part of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in April. However, the 29-year-old has to prove that he can continue his goal-scoring ways.

The team hopes to get a boost from Armia, who came over when the Canadiens took on Steve Mason’s contract from Winnipeg. The 25-year-old got a full season in with a loaded Jets roster and tallied 12 goals and 29 points. With a bigger role in Montreal, he could become a solid 20-goal scorer. The remainder of players will have to prove their value if they want to come back.

Two Years Remaining

F Max Domi ($3.15MM, RFA)
D David Schlemko ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Matthew Peca ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Nicolas Deslauriers ($950K, UFA)
F Jacob de La Rose ($900, UFA)

The Canadiens gave up a quality player in Alex Galchenyuk in order to acquire Domi. The highly-touted winger has struggled in the NHL over the past couple of years and it probably isn’t a good sign that the Arizona Coyotes gave up on the 23-year-old already, suggesting they didn’t feel that he was going to contribute to their team this year. After a impressive rookie season in which he scored 18 goals and 52 points, he has failed to break double-digits in goals in each of the past two seasons since then. Regardless, Montreal is ready to hand him top-six minutes to prove his value and show that he’s better than Arizona thought he was.

Schlemko provides the team with another depth defenseman, but likely isn’t going to play top-four minutes for the team, while the team has high hopes that Deslauriers can duplicate a 10-goal season on the team’s energy line.

Three Years Remaining

D Jeff Petry ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Brendan Gallagher ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Phillip Danault ($3.08MM, UFA)
G Charlie Lindgren ($750K, UFA)

While many players had down years, Gallagher was the bright spot for the Canadiens as the 26-year-old broke the 30-goal mark last season for the first time and has established himself as top right wing on the team. It was a big improvement from his injury-riddled 10-goal campaign the previous year. Suddenly, at $3.75MM over the next three years, his contract is likely the best value on the team. The team also gave Danault a solid three-year extension. The 25-year-old only had eight goals and 25 points, but would be a more ideal third-line center. Unfortunately, with a hole at the second-line center, Danault has been thrust into a role he wasn’t ready for. We’ll see if he can handle that same role this season.

The team is paying a lot of money for Petry, who is one of the team’s most experienced defenseman with the injury to Weber, and the veteran should be able to handle the No. 1 duties for the time being. The 30-year-old blueliner showed off some offensive skills last year, posting a career-high 12 goals and 42 points.

Four Or More Years Remaining

G Carey Price ($10.5MM through 2025-26)
D Shea Weber ($7.86MM through 2025-26)
F Jonathan Drouin ($5.5MM through 2022-23)
D Karl Alzner ($4.63MM through 2021-22)
F Andrew Shaw ($3.9MM through 2021-22)

The timing of Price’s poor season could have been better after the team extended the netminder last offseason. Now after a major drop off in performance after many felt he was the best goaltender in the world, the $10.5MM deal that kicks in this season, suddenly looks quite undesirable. After a season in which he posted a 2.23 GAA and a .923 save percentage in 62 games, Price struggled with injuries and struggled all year behind Montreal’s weakened blueline. He put up a 3.11 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 49 games. The question is which Price will come back this year? If he can bounce back and perform even close to his 2016-17 statistics, that contract wouldn’t look to be quite as bad.

Unfortunately, Weber’s contract is another story. The 33-year-old blueliner still has eight years left on his contract, only managed to play 26 games last season after he was forced to undergo surgery on a torn tendon in his foot and now is expected to miss a large chunk of the season with the possibility of returning in mid-December. While a dominant defenseman when healthy, one has to wonder whether a major foot injury may alter the impact that Weber makes for the rest of his career, considering his advancing age and the way that speed has taken the league over recently. Whether the team can keep him on the ice for another year or two, let alone eight, will be something to closely monitor.

The team has high expectations will be able to bounce back after his struggles to adapt to the center position. Drouin will continue to play there this season and with a full season of experience and a chance to train there in the preseason, Drouin should be much more comfortable, centering the team’s top line. The third-overall pick from the 2013 draft, Drouin has all the talent to make the adjustment and give the team a top-six center. However, his numbers took a hit with the change in positions as he managed just 13 goals and 46 points on the year. The team also has high expectations that Alzner, the team’s big free-agent signing a year ago, will bounce back as well. The veteran defenseman had trouble getting integrated with his new team as well as having to deal with the expectations that came with the contract he signed. However, with a year of experience, he should be able to settle into top-four role this season.

Buyouts

G Mason ($1.37MM through 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Gallagher
Worst Value: Weber

(Excluding entry-level contracts)

Looking Ahead

The team has all the contracts of a team trying to rebuild with youth. Unfortunately, it also has two contracts that are going to weigh down the franchise for eight more years, which is a long time, especially when some of the young players begin to develop and will need new contracts of their own. While the contract of Price might not seem as bad if the veteran goaltender can rebound, it’s likely that Weber’s deal will be a major albatross and it’s way too early to even consider trading that contract or buying it out. Regardless, the team needs to rebuild despite their strange salary cap situation. The addition of Kotkaniemi, regardless of when he arrives to the team, is a start to the rebuild, even if the team won’t acknowledge that’s what they’re doing.

Minnesota Trades Mike Reilly To Montreal Canadiens

February 26, 2018 at 2:20 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 7 Comments

2:20pm: Reilly has been traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round pick.

12:40pm: The Minnesota Wild don’t have a ton of financial flexibility for the trade deadline, but moving a body out could give them a bit more. That body might be Mike Reilly, who according to Michael Russo of The Athletic has already generated a “couple offers.” One of those teams is the Buffalo Sabres, who are looking for any upgrades on the back end as they struggle through another disappointing season.

Reilly looked like a key part of the Wild defense corps, but with the emergence of Nick Seeler in the last few weeks might have made him expendable. The team needs to free up some cash for a potential signing of Jordan Greenway and recall of Luke Kunin down the stretch, but would be weakening their NHL group by moving Reilly at this point. While that might be possible, it is still risky.

It’s not surprising that several teams would have interest in the 24-year old defenseman, who comes with another year at a reasonable $725K cap hit before becoming a restricted free agent. In 84 career NHL games, Reilly has 18 points but is a mobile versatile defenseman that could provide decent depth for any playoff team, or a potential growth option for a rebuilding squad.

West Notes: Reilly, Sharks, Sedins

February 3, 2018 at 8:37 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

The Wild have given defenseman Mike Reilly’s agent (Pat Brisson) permission to talk to other teams about a trade, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required). He notes that this permission may have been granted as much as two months ago although GM Chuck Fletcher declined to comment. For his part, Reilly confirmed that he has not asked for a deal.

It has been a bit of a rough season for the 24-year-old. He was shuttled back and forth between the NHL and the AHL in the early going as Minnesota looked to free up a bit of salary cap space. He has since become waiver-eligible but even then, he has had difficulty cracking the top six on the Wild’s back end and his game last night was his first since January 10th. With just eight points (all assists) in 32 games this season, Reilly likely wouldn’t yield much of a return but he’s certainly someone who could benefit from a change of scenery.

Snapshots: Reaves, Reilly, Carrier

December 17, 2017 at 8:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

The Penguins paid a notable price to acquire winger Ryan Reaves back at the draft, trading down from the end of the first round to the middle of the second plus losing forward Oskar Sundqvist to secure his services. The hope was that Pittsburgh’s lineup would benefit from his toughness. However, his ice time has steadily declined in recent weeks to the point where Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that it may be time to take Reaves out of the lineup in an effort to play someone who can have more of an impact overall in winger Josh Archibald, at least against teams that aren’t overly physical. At any rate, GM Jim Rutherford can’t be too pleased with what Reaves has provided as of late, especially given the price they paid to get him. If this continues, it will be interesting to see if Reaves finds himself on the trade block, especially since several teams look to add grit as the playoffs get closer.

Morning Notes: Reilly, Kossila, Hemsky

October 23, 2017 at 10:39 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Minnesota Wild have recalled Mike Reilly back from the AHL, bringing their roster to 22-players. The Wild sent three players down to get them into some game action, but will likely make another recall tomorrow before their matchup with the Vancouver Canucks.

The Wild have been ravaged by injuries early in the season, but Mikael Granlund returned to a full practice today according to Michael Russo of The Athletic, and the team has still held their heads above water with a 2-2-2 record. While that’s obviously not exactly where they wanted to be through the first six games, as they begin to get their best players back on the ice they should start showing their contender status once again. Reilly, who played 17 games for the team last season and has already suited up four times for them this year, should act as quality depth on the blueline.

The Anaheim Ducks have made a roster move of their own, recalling Kalle Kossila from the AHL. The team was down to just 21 players on their roster after moving Cam Fowler to injured reserve, but are expected to activate Hampus Lindholm this week. Ryan Getzlaf, who has also been out with injury is also expected back on the ice. Like Minnesota, the Ducks have been decimated by injury early on but have avoided a let down through the first seven games. With a record of 3-3-1, the team is starting to get healthy and will be trouble for Western Conference foes going forward. Kossila has been playing well at the minor league level, and could be called upon if Getzlaf isn’t able to play on Tuesday night.
Ales Hemsky didn’t practice with the Montreal Canadiens today due to concussion-like symptoms, which threw a wrench into the lines. While Paul Byron found himself on the top unit with Jonathan Drouin, Alex Galchenyuk was relegated to fourth-line duty once again. Both Michael McCarron and Nikita Scherbak, recalled yesterday, were practicing alongside Galchenyuk, seemingly indicating that they’ll be in the lineup come Tuesday night against Florida. The Canadiens have 1-6-1 through the first part of the season, and are trying anything to spark their offense.

Minor Transactions: 10/15/17

October 15, 2017 at 4:52 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The Ottawa Senators announced they are sending defenseman Thomas Chabot to the Belleville Senators of the AHL and are returning Alex Formenton to London of the OHL. That means that Erik Karlsson’s return is close and Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun writes that head coach Guy Boucher said Saturday that Karlsson could be back for Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Karlsson’s return will be welcome in Ottawa, who have been without him since last year. The team leader and quarterback of their power play, the 27-year-old defenseman scored 71 points last year and averaged 26:50 minutes of ice time. However with his return, the team freed up some roster space.

Chabot was called up last week, due to multiple defensive injuries, and fared well. In two games, the 2015 first-round pick picked up an assist and had a plus/minus rating of +3. The defense had been an issue without Karlsson, who had foot surgery this offseason. Both Johnny Oduya and callup Ben Harpur were also injured prompting Chabot’s call-up. However, the team has made it clear they want Chabot to get as many minutes as possible and Belleville will provide that for the time being.

Formenton, a surprise keeper after training camp, will be returned to his junior team, the London Knights, who he played with last year before Ottawa made him the 47th pick in the draft this year. He could have played up to nine games in the NHL before his entry-level contract started, but played in just one game and only for 4:54, picking up no points. Instead his contract will slide another year.

The Minnesota Wild also made a few transactions today, sending forwards Zach Mitchell, Christoph Bertschy, Landon Ferraro and Luke Kunin back to the Iowa Wild. All the forwards were recalled within the last day or two to help fill in holes in their lineup for their game against the Blue Jackets last night due to multiple injuries. Neither Mitchell, Bertschy or Ferraro, who formed the team’s fourth line last night, played more than six minutes in the game, but Ferraro, nonetheless, got on the scoreboard with a second-period goal assisted by Mitchell. Kunin, the team’s 2016 first-round pick, played 13:53 in his first game, but had no points. The Wild also promoted Mike Reilly, who had been demoted Saturday when Minnesota added Kunin to their roster. Reilly, played one game while in Iowa and scored a goal.

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