One of the Chicago Blackhawks’ more underrated pickups in the offseason was forward Ilya Mikheyev. He was acquired through a trade from Vancouver on June 26 before all of the noise the Blackhawks made in free agency on July 1.
Mikheyev is a solid NHLer and should fit in nicely on the third line. In case he’s needed to play higher, he has the experience and can do so as well as a top-6 option.
The Russian winger was with the Canucks the last two seasons and in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ organization prior to that for three. His best two seasons came in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
His last season with the Maple Leafs, 2021-22, Mikheyev broke out offensively for 21 goals and 32 points in 53 games. He then signed with the Canucks and repeated that strong performance with 13 goals and 28 points in 46 games in 2022-23. With more games, he would’ve set career highs.
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In both of his best seasons, the speedy 29-year-old scored at a 0.60 points-per-game pace which would equate to just about 50 points in a full season. That is great production from a player not in a top-end role.
Mikheyev’s played in a career-high 78 games last season with Vancouver, but he faltered scoring 11 goals and 31 points. His production didn’t match his cap hit and the Blackhawks gladly took him on in the hopes that he would bounce back. I like the odds of him producing more again as he had two good seasons to one bad season.
I’m predicting that Mikheyev will play around 14-15 minutes per game, but it could fluctuate depending on how much he’s implemented on special teams as well.
From the third line, scoring 21 goals again might be on the high-end of what Mikheyev can produce, but he has to contribute at least 15 goals to the Blackhawks if he plays a full season. Chicago has him for two years at $4.75 million AAV and even though the cap is going up and the Blackhawks aren’t at the cap ceiling, a roster spot and money can’t be wasted.
Mikyehev’s speed will help him a lot as it has and expectations won’t be as high as they were after signing his four-year deal with the Canucks. There are a lot of players that can chip in and play their part.
Chemistry will play a part in how he fits in this season, but as long as Mikheyev performs from the middle-6 of the lineup, he will exceed any expectations that fans and the organization may have for him. His potential to be a 20-goal, 50-point scorer is there, but around 15 goals and 40 points will suffice after last season.
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