Bruins buying out contract of Mike Reilly to clear cap space
BOSTON -- In their effort to continue to clear as much cap space as possible, the Boston Bruins announced their plans to buy out the contract of veteran defenseman Mike Reilly.
Reilly, who will turn 30 in two weeks, played in just 10 games for the Bruins this past season. The team placed him on waivers in November, and he played 36 games for the AHL Providence Bruins.
Buying out his contract -- which had one year left on it -- frees up over $2.5 million in cap space this year, while also adding a salary cap charge for the 2024-25 season.
Shaves his cap hit to $333,334 this year and adds $1.334M next season. Total savings: $1.34M https://t.co/nZDXauoMNs
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) June 30, 2023
Reilly's last game of the season in the NHL came in early November. He was originally acquired by the Bruins in 2021 in exchange for a third-round pick. He ended up playing in 95 regular-season games and 16 postseason games with Boston.
Earlier this week, the Bruins traded away Taylor Hall in order to remove his $6 million cap hit from the team's ledger, as the Bruins try to build a roster that keeps them competitive next season.
The Bruins also announced Friday that they have sent qualifying offers to the following restricted free agents: Jeremy Swayman, Trent Frederic, Jakub Lauko, Marc McLaughlin, Ian Mitchell, Alec Regula, Reilly Walsh, and Michael DiPietro.
The team did not submit qualifying offers to Samuel Asselin and Kai Wissmann.
Free agency opens in the NHL on Saturday, and the Bruins will enter that period with just six NHL forwards under contract: David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Jake DeBrusk, and A.J. Greer.