*Photo from The Leafs Nation*
All good teams need some good scorers, so the Vancouver Canucks went and got one. The Canucks and LW/RW Ilya Mikheyev have agreed to a 4 year, $19 million deal, according to his agent Dan Milstein. The Canucks have confirmed the deal.
Mikheyev, who originally broke into the NHL after signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an undrafted free agent, parlayed 3 solid seasons, particularly last season, into a new deal on the west coast of Canada, after playing on a $925,000 salary in his rookie season of 2019-2020.
In the 2021 short season and the 2021-2022 season, Mikheyev made $1.645 million annually, and his new contract is worth $4.75 million annually, a pretty hefty pay raise. His contract expires following the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, and has a modified no trade clause for all 4 seasons, which is a 12 team no trade list submitted by Mikheyev.
Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said of Mikheyev that "Ilya will provide a lot of value in our middle six. His versatility and ability to do so many different things will be a huge boost to our group. Solid at both ends of the ice, Ilya's speed is a real difference maker. Not only does he kill penalties, but he also can create offensively as well."
Last season, Mikheyev had a breakout campaign in Toronto, tallying 21 goals and 11 assists, averaging 15:16 of ice time with a +16 plus/minus rating, playing in 53 regular season games. He added another two goals and two assists in 7 playoff games last season.
Across 3 NHL seasons, all with the Maple Leafs, Mikheyev has an even 36 goals and 36 assists, with a +28 plus/minus rating while averaging 14:57 of ice time per game in 146 regular season games. The two goals and two assists he had last postseason are the only playoff points of his career in 19 total playoff games.
The signing of Mikheyev gives the Canucks a strong middle six winger who can score goals, as evidenced by his career season offensively in Toronto. He can also play sound defense and is used frequently on the penalty kill, which was an area the Canucks needed to address this offseason.
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