The Carolina Hurricanes have gone from a quiet offseason to a team that seems to have news breaking every other day, and Thursday’s latest update fit right into that rhythm. The club brought back defenseman Mike Reilly on a one-year, two-way deal, while the rumor mill kept spinning around Connor Hellebuyck and Alexander Nikishin.
Reilly’s deal pays him $850,000 at the NHL level and $450,000 in the AHL. Last season, he put up one goal and nine points in 42 games, then added two assists in two playoff appearances. He also crossed the 41-game mark needed for his name to be engraved on the Stanley Cup.
That made him a useful piece for Carolina down the stretch. Injuries thinned out the blue line, and Reilly stepped in as the seventh defenseman when needed.
With Pierre-Olivier Joseph signing on Wednesday, Sept. 8, there’s at least a little more competition for where Reilly starts next season. He could be in Raleigh, or he could be with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL.
Either way, the Hurricanes are keeping a veteran option in the fold, and Reilly now brings 460 games of NHL experience to a roster full of talent.
The bigger conversation, though, is still centered on the trade market. On Sept.
9, Pierre LeBrun reported in The Athletic’s “NHL rumblings: Decentralized draft stays, plus latest on Gauthier, Kucherov, Hellebuyck, more” that Carolina was among the frontrunners for Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. A day later, Elliotte Friedman backed that up on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.
Friedman said he believes the Buffalo Sabres, Utah Mammoth, and Hurricanes remain interested in the 33-year-old goalie. He also said he had mixed messages about whether the New Jersey Devils are involved.
According to Friedman, Winnipeg is looking for a goalie in return, which leaves Carolina with Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov as possible pieces to move if that’s what the Jets demand. If the Hurricanes go that route, Friedman suggested Kochetkov is the likelier name to be in play, since Bussi signed a three-year extension in February.
Friedman also touched on Alexander Nikishin, saying the Nashville Predators may have interest in the defenseman. He noted the Predators received a 2028 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick in the trade that sent Luke Evangelista to the Devils. Those are valuable assets, but Carolina already holds two first-round picks in 2028, including its own and the one acquired from the Dallas Stars in the Logan Stankoven trade.
That matters because the Hurricanes have made their stance clear: if a team wants Nikishin, they want a star coming back, or at the very least someone who can step directly into the lineup. If Nashville is serious, it likely takes more than draft picks to get it done.
For now, there’s no sign that Nikishin is on the move, and no indication that any potential deal would be tied to Hellebuyck. The one sure thing is Reilly’s return to the organization. And with 18 days left before the start of the 2026-27 season, the chatter around Carolina is only going to get louder.
In Other News...
Connor Hellebuyck Trade Pressure Is Only Growing For The Jets
Connor Hellebuycks trade situation has only gotten trickier for Winnipeg, with the Jets continuing to work the market while trying to line up a deal that fits a goalie of his caliber. The ask is complicated not just because Hellebuyck is a major name, but because his preference is tied to finding a place where he can win, which naturally widens the list of possible destinations and makes the process harder to map out.
Even so, the pressure is on the Jets to get something significant done, and the challenge has only grown as the trade landscape has shifted around them. A deal that may have looked workable earlier no longer has the same shape, and with the situation still unsettled, Winnipeg is left waiting for the right club and the right package to line up at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Fans Suddenly Have A New Chris Kreider Question
Training camp is getting underway in Buffalo, and there is no shortage of moving parts for the Sabres, from rookie Konsta Helenius to new arrival Olen Zellweger. But the larger organizational question hangs over the rest of the offseason: Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has asked for a trade, and Buffalos front office has stayed engaged in the pursuit while keeping an eye on its own cap flexibility and roster fit.
Chris Kreiders sudden availability only adds another layer to the picture. After mutually terminating his deal with Anaheim, the veteran winger is now a free agent, and Buffalo has the space to at least consider the fit if the market goes in that direction. The challenge for the Jets side of the equation is that the landscape around any Hellebuyck deal has shifted, and the pieces discussed earlier in the summer are no longer all on the board. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Could Still Make A Surprise Push For Proven Scoring Help
The scoring market may not stay quiet for long, and Chris Kreider is suddenly one of the more interesting names hanging out there. The veteran winger has been linked to a possible fresh start after Anaheim's expected move to clear the way for a mutual contract termination, a development that would turn him into a free agent and immediately put a proven goal source on the radar of contenders looking for a boost.
For Winnipeg, the fit is easy to imagine even if the path is not. The Jets have the kind of competitive roster that can appeal to a veteran trying to land in a meaningful situation, and adding another established finisher would deepen a lineup that already has playoff ambitions. The wrinkle, of course, is that Kreider has been tied to a return closer to home, which leaves Winnipeg trying to sell not just opportunity, but the chance to chase something bigger right away. [Read more 🡒]