There isn’t a timeline for his return, though he is with the team on their three-game California road trip, marking the first time he’s traveled with the team since Nov. 1.
Reilly admitted that not being able to travel with the team was one of the hardest parts about his journey. Staying back, skating on his own and working hard every day took the resilience he’s always had within him.
“My whole career, it hasn’t been smooth sailing at times, so I feel like it’s another bump in the road,” Reilly said. “Obviously I see this as health-related, but the only thing I can control is my attitude. Come to the rink with a smile on my face, keep working hard. When that day comes [to return] it’ll be special.”
Reilly signed a one-year contract extension on July 1, feeling good about his decision to stay on Long Island. He was claimed by the Isles off waivers in Nov. 2023 from the Florida Panthers, where he wasn’t seeing consistent ice time.
Getting an opportunity with the Islanders was the fresh start he was excited for and he fit right in. Reilly was looking forward to his first full season with the Isles, so the setback early in the season felt frustrating.
“I felt like last year when I got here, I kind of got the love of the game back after a tough year in Florida. When I got here last year, I thought things went well and the group was great. I was looking to build off that going into this year. I was more excited than I’ve ever been going into a year in quite some time. In 10-11 games in, it takes a 180.”
Reilly’s initial read of the group and the culture in the Isles locker room was spot-on. When he spent countless days skating alone, working hard and taking care of his health back home, his teammates would constantly check up on him.
There wasn’t a moment he was forgotten.
“My teammates have been great,” Reilly said. “I haven’t been able to travel this year, so this is basically my first road trip. It’s tough when you can’t travel with the team… there were some spurts where I’d be the only guy back, which is tough. But as soon as they’d get back from the trip, they’d be checking in to see how I’m doing, making me feel a part of it.”
He also had strong support from his family too, as well as from the fanbase.
“My parents came to visit, my brothers and sisters, those things meant a lot. A lot of fans reached out, I’m very grateful for that.”