What’s next for Bruins’ defense with Mike Reilly reportedly back in fold?

On the eve of Wednesday’s free-agency shopping spree, the Bruins reportedly locked up one of their top-four blueliners from last season — with TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reporting that Boston has signed defenseman Mike Reilly to a three-year contract worth an average annual cap hit of $3 million.

Reilly, set to hit the open market on Wednesday, was expected to be a sought-after target after putting together a breakout 2021 season with both Ottawa and Boston — tying for second among all NHL defensemen in even-strength assists with 23 on the season. 

Brought aboard ahead of the trade deadline in order to add an even-strength offensive catalyst to the B’s D corps, Reilly was largely as advertised during his initial stint with Boston — pushing the puck through the neutral zone with plenty of efficiency, logging an average of 21 minutes a night and recording eight assists over 15 games.

Reilly sure seemed like a natural fit next to Brandon Carlo during the postseason, but the puck-moving blueliner struggled against the Isles’ physical forecheck — especially after Carlo was knocked out of the second-round series due to injury.

Even though Reilly expressed an interest in returning to Boston back in June, it seemed like the recently-turned 28-year-old D was going to price himself out of the B’s range this offseason. 

Now, in terms of just pure value, the Bruins have to be happy to retain a useful asset like Reilly at both fair term and value. Given that most contract projections had Reilly in line to make over $4 million per season on his new deal, the B’s did well here to retain him at this cost.

But the question with Reilly isn’t tied to his value or production. At this point, we know what a guy like Reilly can bring to a D corps — and he’s pretty effective as a puck-moving option that can push the biscuit out of danger and generate chances thanks to his playmaking ability. He's a useful piece, even with some of his defensive warts. 

If Reilly in 2021-22 generates at the rate he maintained last season, you’re looking at a potential 40-point regular on your defense at just a $3 million cap hit. That’s pretty great, especially when considering that most offensive D-men rely mostly on heavy power-play reps.

But for a guy like Reilly, the real question is what role will he be playing on this D corps? Because if he’s that “elusive” top-four D that Cam Neely has been looking for? Well, some fans may not be too thrilled at the prospect of two smaller skaters logging featured roles in Reilly and Matt Grzelcyk. 

In terms of a potential partner on Boston’s blue line, keeping Reilly with Carlo does make plenty of sense — with Boston holding a 40-14 edge in shots on goal when they were deployed together over 58:34 of 5v5 ice time in the regular season. Carlo himself has also noted that he enjoys playing with a smaller, puck-moving partner rather than another defenseman with a similar play style. 

“For me, I’ve always loved playing with puck-moving guys,” Carlo said. “Offensive guys. I feel like I pride myself on the defensive aspect of my game for a long time now. For me, I want to continue to develop as well. I think just, for a pairing I want to be established on, would be primarily focused upon being as steady as possible. I think it’s very important to have consistency within your game and within your pairing and your D partner. I found that with some guys and it’s been great. 

“I want to establish it, not just as a defensive pair, but a pair that can be lethal moving the puck and creating offense as well. I don’t want to establish it as one thing as a defensive pair, or anything like a shutdown pair. I would like it to have little components of each thing, and I feel like I can bring more in that offensive side of things. I know that the guys I would be potentially playing with, that would be a great thing as well. I look forward to that, I look forward to the challenge and growing and having somebody on that side that I can work well with.”

Reilly can and should still be an effective player for the Bruins in the coming years. But what’s the next move for the B’s when it comes to bolstering its blue line?

Sign some big bodies in free agency

With top UFA targets like Jamie Oleksiak and Alec Martinez already either signed or set to be off the market before free agency even opens, it sure seems like Boston’s options were already dwindling before the calendar even turned to Wednesday. 

Add in Nate Schmidt (a similar player to Reilly in terms of an offense-first option on defense) getting dealt to Winnipeg and Ryan Suter likely opting for money and term in free agency with a team like Dallas, and you could see why Boston might have wanted to circle back and lock up Reilly before the defensemen market really went batty on Wednesday. 

Still, there’s a very fair argument that this D corps as constructed with both Grzelcyk and Reilly in the fold on the left side just isn’t big enough to handle the grind of playoff hockey. A logical solution for Boston is to target some physical, value options this week that can inject some snarl into the lineup. 

At this point, with guys like McAvoy, Grzelcyk and Reilly all accounted for, the B’s have plenty of skill and speed. As such, don’t be surprised if they focus on guys like Jake McCabe or Derek Forbort on the left side and/or Jani Hakanpaa on the right side to really add some heft to this grouping. 

What say you of a D corps like this? 

Grzelcyk-McAvoy
Reilly-Carlo
Forbert/McCabe-Hakanpaa

Continue the hunt for that “elusive” top pairing option

That projected D corps lineup I mapped out above may not thrill some, but what if I were to push those guys on the left side down a pair? 

Would this be a bit more palatable? 

{Top Target} - McAvoy

Reilly/Grzelcyk-Carlo

Grzelcyk/Reilly-Hakanpaa

For as much as that left side of Boston’s D corps (as skilled as it is) is still lacking in size, that complexion could change if the B’s still finds a way to swing a deal for an impact left-shot option. 

Of course, those chances might have came and went with the draft and Boston actually drafting in the first round for a change, but don’t be surprised if Boston continues to check in to see if targets like a Mattias Ekholm or Hampus Lindholm are still available for the right price. 

At this point in the offseason, there are still plenty of shoes that have yet to drop when it comes to charting out Boston’s plans for bolstering this D corps. In the vacuum of just this signing, Reilly still does offer good value for what he can bring to a good defense, no doubt.

But perhaps the best way to gauge this signing is to sit and wait to see whatever the next domino is, because this defense as currently constituted still needs a sizable infusion of size (and talent).