The Carolina Hurricanes have officially kicked off the 2026 NHL Global Series with their first game against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, November 12, earning a 4-1 victory.
The Hurricanes and Kraken will meet again this Saturday, November 14, at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, with puck drop scheduled for 11 a.m. Pacific Time and 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
Following Carolina’s opening win in this two-game series, ESPN’s Adam Gold and The Hockey News’ Ryan Henkel discussed several topics on the latest edition of the “Canes Corner” podcast, including which player the Hurricanes should place on waivers when Jordan Staal returns from injury.
Both hosts have no doubts about their preferred course of action: Juuso Valimaki should remain with the team, meaning Mike Reilly should be the one sent down.
Analysts Rank Mike Reilly Eighth Among the Hurricanes’ Defensemen
Gold said, “A real conversation is about to be had (…) we knew Jordan Staal wasn’t going to play.”
“But they’re leaving open the possibility that Staal could play Saturday. Now, I don’t know whether that’s actually going to happen, but he isn’t playing tonight. My bet is that he’ll be back Thursday when the Hurricanes host the Montreal Canadiens.”
“As soon as Jordan Staal is ready to play and comes off injured reserve, somebody has to be sent down to the minors. My guess is there are only two players they would consider putting on waivers: Mike Reilly and Juuso Valimaki.”
“I don’t think they’re putting Nick DesLauriers on waivers, and I don’t think anybody else on the team is in that conversation. So, what would you do?”
Henkel added, “Yeah, like I said, it’s just a really tough decision.”
“But given how things have played out and the way Juuso Valimaki has been playing, I don’t think you can send him down.”
“I think that’s the situation. And like you said, you want to consider that Mike Reilly has played 40 games, but if you’re looking at the defensive depth chart and ranking the seven best defensemen based on how they’ve played this season, Mike Reilly is eighth on that list.”
“So, at that point, the decision would be to send Mike Reilly down.”
Hurricanes Told Who Should Be Waived Once Jordan Staal Is Back