Hurricanes sign Mike Reilly to one-year contract
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes are notable for the amount of continuity they are set to bring back to the ice next season, and they retained yet another depth piece on Thursday.
The club announced that it has signed defenseman Mike Reilly to a one-year, two-way contract that will come with a price tag of $850,000 at the NHL level or $450,000 at the AHL level.
Reilly initially signed on with the Hurricanes ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, and he spent last season serving as the group’s No. 7 defenseman. With multiple injuries to Carolina’s blue line, Reilly saw plenty of action, skating in 42 regular season games while chipping in a goal and eight assists for nine points.
The Illinois native was even called upon during the Hurricanes’ run to the Stanley Cup, and he recorded two assists in two games played filling in for Alexander Nikishin after an injury.
Reilly, who made his debut with the Minnesota Wild during the 2015-16 season, has skated in 460 regular season games across his 11 years in the league, racking up 19 goals, 114 assists and 133 points.
With Reilly back in the fold, general manager Eric Tulsky has constructed a deep group of blueliners. The core locked in to return includes Jaccob Slavin, Jalen Chatfield, K’Andre Miller, Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere. Reilly joins both the recently-signed Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Juuso Valimaki as experienced depth options, while youngsters Joel Nystrom and Charles-Alexis Legault are ready to contribute at the NHL level.
That leaves restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin, who remains unsigned after a strong rookie effort last season but has found his name in frequent trade rumors throughout the summer as his camp and Carolina’s front office have yet to come to terms on a contract extension.
The Hurricanes and their deep, strong blue line will take part in the first game of the 2026-27 NHL season, as the team will raise the Stanley Cup banner on September 29 when the Florida Panthers pay a visit to the Lenovo Center.