Canucks give Ilya Mikheyev’s agent permission to help facilitate a trade: report
By Sam Nestler
16 days agoIlya Mikheyev could be on his way out of Vancouver. And soon.
The Vancouver Canucks have granted Ilya Mikheyev’s agent, Dan Milstein, permission to facilitate a trade for the forward, according to CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal.
Mikheyev has been at the centre of trade rumours since the end of the season. The 29-year-old winger had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 78 games with the Canucks last season. He was held pointless in 11 playoff games, as the Canucks were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mikheyev finished with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 46 games in 2022-23, his first season with the Canucks. Mikheyev was shut down in early 2023 to undergo ACL surgery.
The procedure certainly seemed to affect the normally-speedy Mikheyev this past season, as he just didn’t look like himself in 2023-24.
Mikheyev has two years remaining on a four-year, $19 million contract he signed with the Canucks in 2022. The contract carries a salary cap hit of $4.75 million and comes with a 12-team no-movement clause. This means that Mikheyev is able to submit a list of 12 teams that he cannot be traded to unless he waives the clause.
The Russian was undrafted but signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2019 after a successful run in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He played great in his first NHL season, tallying 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 39 games with the Leafs. But the forward also dealt with a plethora of injuries, including a wrist injury and a broken thumb. After three seasons in Toronto, including his first and only 20-goal campaign in 2021-22, Mikheyev signed with the Canucks in free agency.
His $4.75 million cap hit may be tough to move for the Canucks. But there are likely NHL teams that believe Mikheyev will bounce back and get closer to his 20-goal season form of the past. If the Canucks can retain some of his salary, there should be teams that will make a move. Now, it is up to the player, his agent and the Canucks to get a deal done.
This doesn’t always mean a deal will get done, however. Once upon a time, Brock Boeser’s agent, Ben Hankinson, was given permission to look for a trade for his client out of Vancouver. That never ending up happening, and Boeser went on to have a phenomenal 40-goal campaign for the Canucks instead.
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