Mike Reilly Claimed Off Waivers By Colorado

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes lost a member of their blue line on Sunday, as defenseman Mike Reilly was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche.

A victim of the numbers game, the Canes had to make a roster move in order to activate forward Jordan Staal from injured reserve ahead of Saturday's game in Helsinki. As the defending champions attempted to get the 33-year-old assigned to their American Hockey League affiliate in Chicago, the 2025-26 Presidents' Trophy winners stepped in and thwarted the bid.

Reilly had played just eight of Carolina's 21 games this season, getting a shot alongside Shayne Gostisbehere after Charles Alexis Legault played the first two games of the season. But even before Alexander Nikishin returned to the mix, Juuso Välimäki was given an opportunity and ran with it.

An important part of last year's success, Reilly was re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract on Sept. 10, just before the start of training camp.

Very popular amongst his teammates, he appeared in 42 regular-season games last year and registered two playoff appearances during the team's second-round victory over Philadelphia.

Now What?

The decision to place Reilly on waivers meant that Välimäki had earned a full-time spot with the big club, whether as the sixth or seventh defenseman.

Rod Brind'Amour has beaten the drum that the team is "trying to get Nikishin up to speed" since his Oct. 25 signing, but the head coach has also offered several positive testimonials for Välimäki.

"He's been a great addition. We saw him last year when he was in our system. I watched him play all year, and he was great," the head coach said earlier this week. "We just didn't have the injuries or the spot. This year, we had a spot for him to kind of come in, and he's done everything we've asked him to do. We're very, very happy with his play. He's battled some injuries that kind of set him back a little, but I think he's right back to where he was before that."

Brind'Amour also made it clear that he wants to keep Välimäki in the mix, even with Nikishin attempting to reclaim a spot that saw him play 81 of the team's 82 regular-season games last year.

"Juice has played great. This is not him going to be out for a long time, I don't think," Brind'Amour reasoned about Saturday's lineup decision to play the returning Russian over the Finn.

Comfortable with their current seven, the team also has a mix of up-and-coming talent and veterans available on the Chicago Wolves when their next need arises. Legault and Joel Nyström both saw time at the NHL level last season, and in addition to his six seasons at the highest level, Pierre-Olivier Joseph has enjoyed success through his first 14 games.

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The Canes return to game action on Thursday at Lenovo Center against the Montreal Canadiens. Set for a 7 p.m. puck drop, the broadcast will be available on Hurricanes Hockey Network.