Stacey King
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Blue Jackets' dismal season would brighten if team can sign Mike Reilly
The three men at the heart of the Blue Jackets’ front office — president of hockey operations John Davidson, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and assistant general manager Bill Zito — are rarely all absent from a game.
Maybe Kekalainen or Zito will peel off for a scouting trip, but at least one of the three is always present.
On Friday, while the Blue Jackets played in New Jersey, they all stayed behind in Columbus and headed to Value City Arena to watch the prospect who’s commanding much of the organization’s attention these days.
Mike Reilly was a gangly, 155-pound defenseman when the Blue Jackets drafted him in the fourth round (98th overall) in 2011.
He is now 6 feet 1, 190 pounds, a likely two-time All-American, a Hobey Baker award finalist as the nation’s top player and the first defenseman in almost 20 years to lead powerhouse University of Minnesota in scoring.
“We do our ranking and our evaluating of our prospects all the time, and he’s right at the top of the list, for sure,” Kekalainen said. “We’ve talked about adding skill and speed and quickness on defense. … He fits all those things. He has all the tools.”
But nothing has come easily for Columbus this season, and Reilly’s situation is a growing worry.
When Minnesota’s season ends — that could be in less than two weeks if the Golden Gophers don’t qualify for the NCAA tournament — Reilly is expected to notify Minnesota, the NHL and the Blue Jackets that he’s forgoing his senior season to turn pro.
Then it will get very interesting. The Blue Jackets will have 30 days after Reilly informs Minnesota he’s leaving school, or until June 1 — whichever date is later — to sign him to a two-year, entry-level contract.
If he doesn’t sign with the Jackets, Reilly would become an unrestricted free agent.
“I haven’t looked too much into the overall situation, just kind of focusing on our season,” Reilly told The Dispatch before Friday’s game. “It’s been brought up a little bit, but I’m trying not to think about it too much.
“It’s something I’ll assess at the end of (Minnesota’s) season, when we’re done. You never know how it’s going to go.”
The Blue Jackets said they have no indication what Reilly is thinking, but Kekalainen and company have tried hard to woo him.
Last spring, they played host to him at Nationwide Arena for the two home playoff games against Pittsburgh. When the Blue Jackets played in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 19, Reilly watched the morning skate with Davidson and Kekalainen. Last week, when the Blue Jackets traded defenseman James Wisniewski, Kekalainen mentioned Reilly as a player who has a clearer path to an NHL job.
“Mike Reilly is having a great year in Minnesota,” Kekalainen said. “He’s a prospect we believe in, and he’ll be stepping into some big shoes with our organization. We look forward to getting him signed.”
The Blue Jackets can’t offer him any more money or term than any other club, should Reilly become a free agent. He would get the largest offer possible under the collective bargaining agreement, sources said.
But the one thing the Blue Jackets can dangle before him is immediate playing time at the NHL level. If Minnesota’s season ends while the Blue Jackets still are playing, Reilly could sign with the Blue Jackets and be in uniform for an NHL game immediately.
Ryan Kennedy, a senior writer for The Hockey News who follows prospects and the draft for the magazine, said Reilly would be a first-round pick if the 2011 draft were held again. He would be a midfirst-round pick in this year’s loaded draft, too, Kennedy said.
Reilly, 21, leads all college defensemen in scoring, with six goals, 32 assists and 38 points in only 34 games.
“Mike has things you can’t teach,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said. “Elite hands, vision … He thinks the game so well. His feet are really good. He’s one of those kids who is a late bloomer physically, and there’s still room for him to get stronger.”
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