The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly trying to trade one of their most expensive wingers.
The team is shopping forward Ilya Mikheyev around the league as they try to find a taker for his contract. The Russian forward is set to make $4.75 million for the next two seasons before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
“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,” wrote Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli in today’s trade targets column.
“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 29-year-old had knee surgery in January 2023 and missed the rest of that season as a result. He returned to the ice in late October this year and started off hot with four points in his first five games. However, his scoring dropped significantly and he finished the year with just 31 points in 78 games.
Mikheyev struggled even more in the postseason. He finished with zero points across 11 playoff games despite playing a significant amount of time in the top six alongside Elias Pettersson.
He had a glorious chance in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers but couldn’t even get a shot on net.
Ilya Mikheyev is gonna want that one back 😫 pic.twitter.com/0sqhCprPoc
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 21, 2024
The once-blazing-fast winger has a career-high of 21 goals and 32 points, all done in just 53 games. His pace hasn’t been quite the same since his injury. He finished this year with a top speed of 22.63 miles per hour, good for the 69th percentile among forwards, and 101 speed bursts over 20 miles per hour, good for the 70th percentile among forwards.
The Canucks are already severely lacking for draft picks with just four for this summer’s event, including none in the first two rounds. Having to use another to move off Mikheyev’s contract would further deplete an already bleak collection of picks.
However, with plenty of pending unrestricted free agents, the nearly $5 million in cap space saved would go a long way for the Canucks. It would likely mean they could re-sign a player like Dakota Joshua or Nikita Zadorov, or find another free agent who they like.