Vancouver Canucks to explore trading forward Ilya Mikheyev this summer

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Tom Banks
June 13, 2024 (11:14 PM)

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The Vancouver Canucks saw some fantastic seasons from their entire roster in 2023-24, but now it appears they're ready to trade a key depth forward this summer.

Unfortunately for the Vancouver Canucks, their long awaited return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs saw them fall short of the Stanley Cup Finals, and now there's expected to be big changes this summer. Mid-season acquisitions Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov are likely to move on as free agents, and now Frank Seravalli has suggested that the team are looking to move on from veteran forward Ilya Mikheyev.

"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." Seravalli said.

At 29-years of age, Mikheyev posted 31 points, the second highest tally of his five-year NHL career, with a career high 20 assists showing that he can play a fantastic depth role. It's unclear what the market will be for Mikheyev over the summer, and with two years left on his deal at $4.75 million AAV, they will likely need to add a sweetener to find a trade partner.

While he's not quite the star that people expected when he arrived on the scene with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mikheyev can play a fantastic role in any lineup, and now it's expected he will be moved in the coming weeks and months.

Source: Blade of Steel
Vancouver Canucks reportedly looking to trade forward Ilya Mikheyev