There were many reasons why the Carolina Hurricanes came up short against the Florida Panthers in last season's Eastern Conference Final, but perhaps the biggest was due to the team's deployment of two rookie defensemen. Injuries to Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker put the Canes in a no-win position, and with no real veteran depth defenders in the organization at the time, the coaching staff was forced to turn to two players who quite simply were not ready for the moment. Carolina Hurricanes Preseason Game #2 "[Having to play two rookies] is tougher than people realize," Brind'Amour said after the Florida series. "It just puts so much stress on the other guys. ... Throwing in guys who haven't played at this level, it's asking a lot." Brind'Amour knew that the team had blundered with their blueline depth last season — perhaps also partly because the Mikko Rantanen trade went all the way to wire at the trade deadline, leaving the team with very little time for any other negotiations — and he didn't want that to be a recurring problem. "We're going to go back this summer... when you get into the playoffs, you have to make sure you probably have a little more depth at that position," Brind'Amour said. So when July 1 rolled around, the Canes knew that adding a veteran, depth blueliner was something that was high on their list. Hence the signing of Mike Reilly to a one-year, $1.1 million deal. "It's critical when it becomes critical and, you know, it became critical," Brind'Amour said. "That was obviously a big issue. One way to avoid it is brining in veteran guys at that position and that's what we did." The 6-foot-2 blueliner brings a two-way game and over 400 games of NHL experience to the table. Reilly has played for six other organizations throughout his career, while racking up 18 goals and 124 points. However, there was a worry that the Minnesota native wasn't even going to be able to continue playing just a year ago. Reilly missed the majority of last season after a congenital heart condition was discovered during testing for a concussion he suffered in a game on Nov. 1, 2024. “It was picked up through the different echocardiograms that you do for different reasons that you go through with any post-concussion situation," said Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello back in November [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-mike-reilly-defenseman-injury-concussion-heart-surgery]. "It's probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired. They detected this, something that you're sometimes born with but never knew. ... [His quality of life will be] 100 percent, and he will be able to play once this procedure is done." The veteran was ultimately cleared to return to the ice, playing in the Islanders final seven games of the season, but the ailment certainly didn't do the blueliner any favors heading into free agency. "Obviously last year was a tough year," Reilly told The Hockey News. "Didn't play much and had all that health stuff going on, so coming into free agency, I was in a tough spot. But Carolina was interested in making it happen and I was excited." Reilly is no stranger to the Hurricanes, having played against them for so many years, including two separate playoff series (2022 with BOS, 2024 with NYI). "I've played against them a bunch, couple of playoff series and I'm familiar with a couple of guys who are here currently or had played here as well (perhaps former roommate and Golden Gopher teammate Brady Skjei had some good things to say)," Reilly said. "I think it's a fast-paced style and structure, which I think suits me and I think there's good opportunities for the D to jump in once we get the puck going up north and moving with speed." The veteran isn't likely to start the year, but injuries are a constant threat in the NHL, and there's a better chance than not that the Hurricanes will have to call on him eventually and he's confident that he'll be ready for that chance. But he's okay with waiting for that moment too. "I'm an easy-going guy and everyday I like to have a smile on my face regardless of what's going on," Reilly said. 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