Reilly traded to Bruins by Senators for 2022 Draft pick

Mike Reilly was traded to the Boston Bruins by the Ottawa Senators on Sunday for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

The 27-year-old defenseman can become an unrestricted free agent after this season. He is in the final season of a two-year contract he signed with the Montreal Canadiens on June 26, 2019.

"Obviously every year we play [the Bruins] they definitely usually have some high-end skill," Reilly said Monday. "But you can see the reason they have success is they play the game the right way. In the D zone, they play hard, and it seems like they get on pucks pretty quick and kill plays and the more you do that the more you get to play offense. So obviously they've got the big line (David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand) and some new faces in there for sure from years past, but I think I can help break the puck out and first and foremost defend, play hard and then work itself out from there. Try to be the fourth guy on the rush and make plays, be support with these skillful forwards. So definitely excited for that."

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Reilly has 19 assists in 40 games this season for Ottawa and has scored 72 points (eight goals, 64 assists) in 244 games for the Senators, Canadiens and Minnesota Wild.

"Obviously I played in Montreal for a bit and being able to play in Boston and when Boston came to the Bell Centre, obviously it was some spirited games, for sure," Reilly said. "I love the way Boston plays and I also know a couple guys on the team that have already reached out to me. So definitely excited to get going here."

Reilly signed with the Wild as a free agent July 3, 2015, after his junior season at the University of Minnesota. He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth round (No. 98) of the 2011 NHL Draft but did not sign with them.

The Bruins (21-12-6) are in fourth place in the eight-team MassMutual East Division, four points ahead of the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. The Senators (13-25-4) are in last in the seven-team Scotia North Division. The top four teams in each of the four divisions will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Boston was without four defensemen, Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk, Kevan Miller and Brandon Carlo, in an 8-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Though Miller was held out as a maintenance day after he missed all of last season to multiple knee surgeries and is expected to return Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres, return dates remain unknown for the other three, each out with an upper-body injury.

Grzelcyk was injured in a 3-2 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and is considered day to day. McAvoy, who last played April 5, skated Sunday and could be available Tuesday. Carlo, who is out with an injury that is unrelated to the concussion that cost him 10 games from March 7-28, has missed the past six games and is week to week.

The Bruins also acquired forwards Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar from the Sabres on Monday for forward Anders Bjork and a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Hall signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Sabres on Oct. 11 and can become an unrestricted free agent after this season. The 29-year-old forward has scored 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 37 games this season.

Lazar, who can become an unrestricted agent after the season, has not played since March 31 because of a lower-body injury. The 26-year-old scored nine points (five goals, four assists) in 33 games for Buffalo this season.

NHL.com staff writer Amalie Benjamin and independent correspondent Matt Kalman contributed to this report