New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly will have a heart procedure on Tuesday, which will keep him out indefinitely, the team announced on Monday.
Reilly didn’t know he had a heart condition until it was discovered during tests for a concussion he suffered in a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on November 1. He was placed on injured reserve due to the concussion and has missed the last seven games for the Islanders.
“It was picked up through the different echocardiograms that you do for different reasons that you go through with any post-concussion situation,” said Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello.
“It’s probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired. They detected this, something that you’re sometimes born with but never knew.”
Lamoriello mentioned that it could take “several months” before Reilly is back on the ice. “(His quality of life will be) 100 percent, and he will be able to play once this procedure is done,” Lamoriello said. “It takes quite a bit of time.”
Reilly, who is 31 years old, has not scored any points in 11 games for the Islanders this season.
