NY Islanders announce defenseman Mike Reilly is out indefinitely

The New York Islanders changed Mike Reilly's injury designation on Saturday, announcing that the defenseman is out indefinitely after being considered day-to-day in recent days. Reilly was injured against the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 1, 2024, when he was hit by Sabres forward Jordan Greenway, fell hard onto the ice, and remained motionless before being attended to by the training staff and eventually accompanied off the ice.

Greenway initially received a five-minute penalty for the hit, though it was rescinded after a video review. Islanders head coach Patrick Roy disagreed with that assessment and maintained those feelings after seeing the replay. "We all know what happened to Reilly," Roy said. "We all saw it."

The team had been monitoring his recovery recently for potential concussion symptoms​ in hopes he could return to the lineup in the coming days, but the change in designation indicates that he has not yet progressed as needed and will be out for an extended time. The 31-year-old, who signed a one-year contract to remain on Long Island this off-season, hadn't recorded a point in 11 games.

The Islanders defense is currently without Reilly, Adam Pelech (4-6 weeks, upper-body) and Alexander Romanov (day-to-day, upper-body). That's resulted in seventh-defenseman Dennis Cholowski being inserted into the regular lineup and after Samuel Bolduc was recalled from Bridgeport, he was quickly loaned back after a costly turnover against the New York Rangers last Sunday afternoon that led to a goal.

20-year-old Isaiah George was called up and has impressed in his first two games, including earning 23:59 of ice time against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. Given the trust Roy has already shown in him and his standout skating skills, he's likely to remain with the team even if Romanov returns. Romanov did skate with the team on Saturday and will travel on their road trip.