In Jim Montgomery’s system, could Mike Reilly be a secret weapon on Bruins’ blue line?

Mike Reilly is feeling pretty good these days.

For the first time in over two years, the 29-year-old defenseman is sturdy on his skates once again, just a few months removed from offseason surgery to repair a torn ankle tendon and remove bone fragments.

That clean bill of health has translated out on the ice so far this preseason, with Reilly looking more like the fleet-footed skater who injected plenty of playmaking punch into Boston’s D corps during the spring of 2021.

Perhaps no better sequence illustrates the current poise (and confidence) in Reilly’s game than the highlight-reel tally he buried against the Rangers on Wednesday — the latest contribution in what has been an encouraging fall for the veteran. 

With Boston and New York stuck in a 4-4 deadlock, Reilly saw an opportunity to pounce further up the ice. Activating off the blue line, Reilly gather the puck at the high slot and faked a slap shot, drawing Vincent Trocheck over in an attempt to block said volley.

But Reilly did not uncork the shot, traversing further into the O-zone before eventually snapping a shot through from the right circle — an attempt from Grade-A ice that sailed past Jaroslav Halak and gave Boston a lead it would not surrender.

It was a play that a banged-up Reilly likely wouldn’t have committed to last season. But beyond the physical restrictions that have been lifted by way of his offseason procedure, Reilly stands at the forefront of puck-moving defensemen who stand to benefit from Jim Montgomery’s new offensive systems.

"I think it lends towards his style of play and his attributes,” Montgomery said of Reilly’s play.  His strength should shine with this and I thought he did last game. I think he was very active. I think he was playing on his toes, which is what we want our defenseman to be doing.”

Had this been last season — a disappointing campaign in which Reilly eventually found himself on the outside looking in at regular minutes following Hampus Lindholm's arrival — Reilly likely would have committed to that slap shot from the high slot, sending in a low-danger salvo that Halak would be in better position to corral. 

But throughout camp, Montgomery has continued to stress the added value that can come from active defensemen adding an extra layer of offense on the ice, whether that be in transition or in opportunistic moments in the O-zone.

Yes, Montgomery doesn’t want the Bruins defenseman to suddenly all try to mimic Cale Makar (frankly, no one can), but the message has been sent that the team is willing to embrace just a bit more risk if it results in more tangible scoring chances down the other end of the ice. 

"I think it's always thinking transition offense as much as they think transition in defense,” Montgomery said of how he wants his defense to operate in his system. “And it starts at their own goal line and it ends up in the offensive zone. It's a mindset. It's an attitude of being out offensively. Not sitting back, waiting for things to happen. 

“Putting yourself in a position to support pucks up the ice, it doesn't matter what zone. ... They may not end up with points per se. But what they're doing in the defensive zone or neutral zone is getting the pucks into forwards in better situations where they have more time and space. It may not end up being (points), but it's going to add to our layers of depth."

So far this preseason, Reilly appears to have run with Montgomery’s willingness to take the reins off of some of his D-men. In three preseason games and 49:44 of 5v5 ice time, Reilly has attempted 14 shots, nine of which have reached the opposing netminder. During that close to 50 minutes of ice time, the Bruins have outscored teams, 4-2. 

 As up-and-down as last season was for Reilly, the Minnesota product has always had the capabilities to be an effective playmaking option on the back end — tying for second among all NHL defensemen in even-strength assists (23) during the 2020-21 season. 

Having Reilly regain that form would make an already dynamic B’s D corps even more dangerous down the other end of the ice, especially once another puck-mover in Matt Grzelcyk is added to the equation.

Of course, Grzelcyk’s return in the coming weeks (he practiced Friday in a regular contact sweater) will also make things interesting when the time comes to pare down this defensive unit. 

For most of the summer, Reilly has been tabbed as the odd man out on this blue line, given both his lackluster returns last season and the looming cap crunch that awaits once both Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand are cleared to return to game action. 

Perhaps a strong start to the season could further boost Reilly’s trade value — allowing Boston to recoup draft capital while giving Reilly a new home where he can consistently log top-four minutes.

But at this juncture, it sure seems like Montgomery and the Bruins are still factoring Reilly into their on-ice plans for the 2022-23 campaign. And based on the early returns, keeping Reilly around might be a prudent move for a D corps that could give opposing defenses headaches all season long. 

“I think that's great for me and allows you a little bit more freedom — doesn't mean you're reckless, doesn't mean you're letting up odd-man's or backchecking the whole game,” Reilly said of Montgomery’s system. “Definitely the freedom to make plays. And I think that is something that's gonna benefit me.”