Avalanche Acquire Reilly For Help On Blueline

Sunday, November 15, 2026 ,
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The Colorado Avalanche's blueline depth is being tested. They are now down two men from their defense corps after the loss of Cale Makar this past week. The superstar D-man will be out about two weeks due to a lower-body soft-tissue injury. He joins Josh Manson on the shelf, who is on LTIR and probably out until after Christmas. 

With that, the Avs have hit the waiver wire on Sunday to find a bit of temporary help, at least. They've claimed veteran defenseman Mike Reilly from the Carolina Hurricanes. 

The 33-year-old left-shot D-man has played in eight games for the Hurricanes this season, recording two assists in 12:26 average ice time per game.

He's a well-travelled defenseman, now ready to suit up for his 8th NHL team in 12 seasons. He's also played for the New York Islanders (2023-25), Florida Panthers (2023-24), Boston Bruins (2020-23), Ottawa Senators (2019-21), Montreal Canadiens (2017-20) and Minnesota Wild (2015-18). In 468 regular-season games, the 6-foot-2, 191-pounder has 135 career points. He also has his name on the Stanley Cup from last season with the Canes.

Reilly was drafted in the 4th round (98th overall) in 2011 by the Columbus Blue Jackets. But after playing at the University of Minnesota for three years following that draft, he didn't make his NHL debut until 2015 with the Wild. 

Obviously, Reilly will not replace Makar, or Manson for that matter, but he's a mobile, puck-moving defenseman and he'll add a bit more depth for a thinning Colorado blueline. 

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