The New York Islanders have been without a couple of key players throughout 2024-25, and the team was dealt another disappointing blow on Monday. Veteran defenseman Mike Reilly, who hasn’t been in the lineup since a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on November 1, has a heart condition that needs surgery.
Reilly will undergo a procedure for the ailment this week and will be sidelined indefinitely, general manager and president of hockey operations Lou Lamoriello announced on Monday.
“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, per NHL.com’s Cory Wright.
The longtime executive added: “It’s probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired. They detected this, something that you’re sometimes born with, but never knew. [His quality of life will be] 100% and he will be able to play once this procedure is done. It takes quite a bit of time. It could be several months before he’s back, because of the type of procedure.”
Reilly’s long-term health is obviously the priority, and there’s no definitive timeline for the 31-year-olds return. He is expected to continue his hockey career after the procedure and make a full recovery. The heart issue was found during routine concussion testing after Reilly left a 4-3 win over the Sabres early on November 1. The condition is unrelated to the hit and subsequent injury, Lamoriello confirmed.
The Chicago, Illinois native has managed three hits and four blocked shots through 11 games for the Isles in 2024-25.
Islanders are being decimated by injuries this season
Reilly’s ailment is certainly the most concerning, but New York has been riddled by injuries this season. The veteran now joins Mathew Barzal, Anthony Duclair, Adam Pelech and Anthony Romanov on the shelf.
Lamoriello provided updates on all of the aforementioned skaters at the same time he announced that Reilly would be out for a matter of months after his heart procedure.
Romanov is still day-to-day and considered a game-time decision for Tuesday night’s clash against the Flames in Calgary. He was a full participant in practice for the second consecutive time on Monday.
Duclair hasn’t resumed skating, but Lamoriello hopes that will happen in the near future; the sniper has been out of the lineup with a lower-body injury since October 19.
Meanwhile, both Barzal and Pelech will begin skating as soon as they have been cleared by doctors, but neither player has a firm timeline for a return to game action. The former has been out since October 30, while the latter suffered an upper-body injury two days afterwards.
With the injury bug hitting hard early on, the Islanders are struggling to stay afloat. New York is playing .500 hockey at 7-7-4 and now fifth place in the Metropolitan Division.
Patrick Roy’s team will look to bounce back from a tight 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. The Islanders will pass through Calgary and Detroit on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, before heading home for a clash with the St. Louis Blues in Long Island on Saturday.
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