The Islanders took the path of least resistance on their blue line and found some needed scoring help on the wing.
The team announced Monday it had re-signed Mike Reilly to a one-year deal while inking Anthony Duclair to a four-year pact.
Duclair’s contract carries a $3.5 million average annual value, according to multiple reports.
Bringing back Reilly means that the Islanders defense depth chart currently reads the same as it did last season, with the 30-year-old Reilly playing on the left side of the third pair.
After Reilly stuck in the lineup and added some valuable offense to the blue line following a November waiver claim, a reunion always looked like the most logical path for both sides.
As for Duclair, it looked in March as though the former Shark would be a potential target for the Islanders, but he was instead dealt to the Lightning.
After scoring 24 goals across the two stops last season, Duclair was something of a best-case scenario in free agency for the Islanders, who were looking to add scoring help with what limited money they had available.
A former Ranger, Duclair also played for Patrick Roy in juniors with the Quebec Remparts.
He figures to slot into the Islanders’ top six, where the Islanders have been trying to find a winger to pair with Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal for some time.