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| From The Athletic |
The Ottawa Senators have acquired defenseman Mike Reilly from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Andrew Sturtz and a 2021 5th round pick.
The Senators don\’t need a defenseman. They currently have nine defensemen on their roster, including the two on injured reserve. Both Dylan DeMelo and Ron Hainsey shouldn\’t be out for so much longer. But Reilly is a better option than Andreas Englund, Christian Jaros and Cody Goloubef, all who are on the active roster and have combined for just 24 NHL games this year. The Senators might also shop veteran defenseman Mark Borowiecki. If Borowiecki gets dealt, then Reilly would likely be his replacement. The Senators could try to see if Reilly has a good two months leading up to the trade deadline and then flip him then. But Reilly is not a UFA at the end of the season. He is under contract for the rest of this season and 2020-21 at a $1.5 million cap hit. Getting Reilly isn\’t risky, and they give up a fifth rounder and a fringe AHL/ECHL player.
Reilly, 26, has no goals with four assists in 14 games for the Canadiens this year. In his NHL career for the Canadiens and Minnesota Wild, Reilly has scored seven goals with 34 assists for 41 points in 174 games.
Even after signing Reilly in the offseason, he was very expendable with the rise of former third rounder Cale Fleury. Also, the team would acquire Marco Scandella from the Sabres less than an hour later. They traded away a fourth rounder for Scandella, so they upgraded defensemen while just downgrading picks by one round. They also get Sturtz, which just seems like an extra contract the Senators are getting rid of. He has played in both the AHL and ECHL this year.
Sturtz, 25, has scored one goal with one assist for two points in 14 games for the AHL\’s Belleville Senators this year. He also had a goal and an assist in four games for the ECHL\’s Brampton Beast.
CarterHud 