SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Carolina Hurricanes will be without stud defenseman Jaccob Slavin (lower-body injury) for at least the first part of their current six-game road trip.
The anchor of the blue line's left side "didn't feel right" coming out of Saturday's win over Philadelphia, and after some further evaluation, has been declared unavailable for the time being.
"He went for some more testing. I think we're just going to keep him out for a while," Rod Brind'Amour told reporters at SAP Center on Tuesday. "I don't think it's super serious, but he doesn't quite feel right. So, for right now, he's not on this trip."
Slavin missed most of training camp with the same ailment and did not play in any preseason games. He was able to skate the full duration of the team's season-opener, but did not play late in the third period or during overtime over the weekend.
"It's obviously a big loss for us," Brind'Amour continued on the FanDuel Sports Network television broadcast. "He's been dealing with something for a while, so it's precautionary for the most part, but he's going to be out for a little while. Hopefully, it's nothing too serious, but that doesn't help us right now, that's for sure."
In his absence, Mike Reilly is expected to slot in, and Charles Alexis Legault, recalled from Chicago (AHL) on Monday, will serve as the healthy extra.
Reilly, 31, registered two points (2a) in 18 games with the Islanders in 2024-25. He missed the majority of the 2024-25 season following a heart procedure on Nov. 19, 2024. The blueliner has totaled 18-106-124 in 418 career NHL games with the Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and New York Islanders. Reilly also posted 18 goals and 62 assists (80 points) in 139 career AHL games with Iowa Wild from 2015-18. The 6’2”, 191-pound defenseman was originally selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth-round, 98th overall, at the 2011 NHL Draft.
Legault, 22, has appeared in one AHL game this season with Chicago, registering five penalty minutes and a plus-2 rating. The Laval, Que., native completed his first professional season in 2024-25, totaling 14 points (3g, 11a) and a plus-11 rating in 63 games with the Wolves. Selected by the Hurricanes in the fifth round, 139th overall, at the 2023 NHL Draft, Legault played collegiately at Quinnipiac, scoring 11 goals and adding 22 assists (33 points) in 79 career games and capturing the 2023 NCAA National Championship with the Bobcats.
