Islanders Defenseman Undergoes Heart Procedure

The New York Islanders are dealing with a scary injury on their blue line.

Apr 6, 2024; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly (2) skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators during the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-Imagn Images / Tom Horak-Imagn Images

New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly has been out of the lineup for a couple of weeks now, and unfortunately, he'll be out a lot longer for a very concerning reason.

On Monday, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello announced that Reilly will undergo a procedure on Tuesday to address a preexisting, but previously uncovered heart condition and will be out indefinitely. Doctors found the issue while conducting tests after Reilly suffered a concussion against the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 1, though the condition is unrelated.

"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.

It's an incredibly scary condition for sure, but the good news is that doctors found it before something even worse happened.

"It's probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired," Lamoriello said. "They detected this, something that you're sometimes born with, but never knew."

Reilly, 31, is a journeyman now in his 10th NHL season. The Chicago native is in his second season on Long Island after previously playing for the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild. In 411 NHL games, he has 122 points (18 goals, 104 assists) while averaging 17:09 of ice time. He has three hits and four blocked shots in 11 games this season.

The Islanders will miss Reilly on the blue line, but the important part is making sure he's healthy long-term.

"[His quality of life will be] 100% and he will be able to play once this procedure is done," Lamoriello said. "It takes quite a bit of time. It could be several months before he's back, because of the type of procedure."

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