Vancouver Canucks forward Ilya Mikheyev has found himself on the latest edition of Frank Seravalli’s Trade Targets board over at DailyFaceoff.com.
The list is an ever-changing one, as NHL insider Frank Seravalli updates it based on conversations he’s having with people behind the scenes from around the league. Toronto’s Mitch Marner has held down the number one spot for some time now, but the story of today’s list is the inclusion of Mikheyev at number six on the list.
Here’s what Frank had to say about the 29-year-old forward:
Scoop: The Canucks have been working to move Mikheyev since shortly after their playoff run concluded. They also offered him to teams around the trade deadline. After a tough playoff, Mikheyev’s contract is gumming up the works on Vancouver’s offseason. They can’t more aggressively pursue multiple pending free agents (Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Filip Hronek) until they can get clearer view of their cap picture. Mikheyev scored just one goal in the final 61 games of the season (including playoffs), which is hard to do. As a result, teams are asking the Canucks to attach an asset to Mikheyev to move him, something they are balking at – saying that it takes a full year to recover from ACL repair, and Mikheyev should be much better next season.
The Canucks signed Mikheyev in July 2022. A speedy winger who can kill penalties, Patrik Allvin and co. were hopeful that Mikheyev, who was coming off of a 21-goal campaign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, could excel in an increased role in Vancouver. Mikheyev mostly played on Toronto’s third line throughout his three years with the Leafs, and the belief was that he could flourish in increased minutes alongside better players.
Mikheyev tallied 13 goals and 15 assists through 46 games with the Canucks in his first season before undergoing ACL surgery to repair an injury he suffered in the preseason but was able to play through for most of the season.
He wasn’t quite yet recovered for the start of the 2023-24 season, which turned into a disaster for the normally speedy winger.
Without his speed, Mikheyev was very ineffective, registering just 11 goals and 20 assists through 78 games played.
More to come.