The Minnesota Wild have traded defenseman Mike Reilly to the Montreal Canadiens for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Reilly has only played in 38 of Minnesota’s 62 games this season, tallying two goals and eight assists from the Wild blueline. He has been a sixth/seventh defenseman for Minnesota in the three seasons since he signed with the Wild in August 2015 but could never fully crack the roster.
The Wild have reportedly been shopping him since November, as the team views Gustav Olofsson — who has platooned with Reilly for the last defensive spot on the roster this year — as a better fit moving forward.
With Nick Seeler stepping into the lineup adequately in recent weeks, Reilly became more expendable and was ultimately moved prior to Monday’s 2 p.m. trade deadline.
The pick acquired by Minnesota originally belonged to Washington but was traded to Montreal on Feb. 21 in the deal that sent Jakub Jerabek to the Capitals.