Here we go again. After losing out on prized college goaltender, Matt O’Connor, Peter Chiarelli and the Oilers are adjusting their sights on another hot college UFA, defenceman Mike Reilly of the university of Minnesota. The 21-year-old is a former 4th round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2011 NHL draft, which, coincidently, occurred in Minnesota. The news comes from a report stating that the left hand shot d-man had the Oilers on his shortlist of 10 teams and has met with management. Lets not get too ahead of ourselves here, though. The Oilers have been down this road before, after successfully recruiting Justin Schultz in a similar scenario, and the results haven’t been nearly as beneficial as they hoped. So, without further ado, lets kick things off and dig down into the details of who exactly Mike Reilly is and what he could potentially add to the current roster.
Mike Reilly, uh, who is that?
Don’t feel like a bad hockey fan if you hadn’t heard about Mike Reilly until this last week, I definitely didn’t. Reilly is a former draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets but, he didn’t sign an entry-level deal with the club, and now he is set to hit free agency this summer. Formally apart of the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, Reilly has spent the last three seasons with the University of Minnesota in the NCAA. He stands at 6’1″ and a sizable 183bs and is a left-handed shot. Reilly had quite the year with the U of M, putting up 42 points in 39 games as well as winning the defensive player of the year in the NCAA’s Big 10 division, not to mention being a Hobey Baker award finalist. He appears to excel in various aspects of the offensive part of the game, whether that be knowing when to join a rush, moving the puck up ice, or having exceptional vision. The shortcomings in his game are right where you would expect, in his own end. However, that could change as he has added quite a bit of weight, jumping from a measly 163lbs to 183lbs, since being drafted in 2011. That increase in size could go far in upping his effectiveness in the defensive zone. His initial draft position was 98th overall but, he is now looking like a steal at that pick as Hockey’s Future put Reilly’s potential as having the tools to become a top pairing guy in the future.
Sounds like Justin Schultz…
Ok, ok, I’ll be the first to admit that this whole thing does have a Justin Schultz feel to it, but stay with me here. Just because Schultz hasn’t quite turned out like we wanted, doesn’t mean that all college defenseman will follow suit. Reilly has displayed a more grittier feature in his play, something that Schultz is still trying to develop. The two are very comparable otherwise though, I understand the comparison and the Oilers mustn’t repeat the actions they did with Schultz. What I am talking about is how they chose to portray Schultz and how he was handled to start his pro career. When Schultz chose to sign with Edmonton, he was thrust right into the spotlight, dead smack in the middle of it. It was as if he was one of their 1st overall picks, and because of this, he was handed a role that he was not ready for. He hadn’t played a single game and already was being touted as the Oilers best defenseman by many. The result of that have been what you would expect, failure to deliver on expectations. This relates to Reilly in that, he won’t be handled in nearly the same way with Chiarelli in charge. The Oilers will, hopefully, look to add a few more veteran defenseman this offseason, whether that be Green, Mcquaid or Seabrook(Dreams), who should help provide shelter for him. If Reilly decides to come to Edmonton, the Oilers shouldn’t promise him what they promised Schultz, which was top 4 minutes right off the bat. Pete Chiarelli and co. should promise him a chance to develop at a viable pace with an exciting group of players his age. Reilly won’t have as much responsibility or exposure that Schultz had and because of that, the chances of him panning out the same way is lowered. He is definitely worth a shot, he has done his fair share of playing at a junior level and seems poised enough to hop into the big leagues, whether it be straight to the NHL or spending some time in AHL.
Ok, fair enough, but where would he fit?
Reilly is a left-hand shot, which kinda sucks but kinda doesn’t. The crappy part of it is that the Oilers have an opulent supply of left hand defence coming up the pipe. With that being said, Reilly could add some offensive talent to that group. Nurse is more of a two-way guy, providing a beast of a point shot and a hulking presence in his own end and Oscar Klefbom is a more of a smooth and efficient puck mover than a point getter. I think he should slot nicely as a third pairing guy, with a veteran partner, Reilly should see limited minutes against lesser competition. It should also be stressed that he should NEVER be paired with Schultz, the results of that could be catastrophic. He would also be a nice guy to have on a second unit power play. Reilly could also start in Bakersfield, to help his defensive game a little more, and then get called up midway through the season. This may not be the most pleasing offer out there, but it is one that will promise a successful transition into the NHL. He has to work up the ladder to maintain more responsibilities and minutes, and not be simply given them without any proof that he is suitable to handle it. There is plenty of flexibility when in this particular scenario.
So, in the end..
In the end of all things, this is all speculation. Mike Reilly has 10 teams to sit back and evaluate still and there is a high possibility he doesn’t come to Edmonton. The Oilers are the only team on the list that hasn’t been a playoff team in the last 2 years, so he could opt to go with a more proven team. There is also the hometown factor, as Minnesota is on the list as well. The one thing that Edmonton can offer, however, is the most opportunity. For the most part, the rest of these teams have their core in order on the backend and it’ll be much more difficult to climb those ladders in comparison to Edmonton’s. The door is there for Mike Reilly, if he wants to open it is his choice.
Thanks for reading! What do you think about Mike Reilly? Do you think he picks Edmonton or will he opt to stay in Minny? Answer these questions and leave any feedback you have in the comment section and I’ll hopefully respond! Follow me on Twitter @CrazyOilersFan and talk some Oilers!
When in doubt, McDavid.
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