Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs were made fun of during the most recent Stanley Cup Finals by seeing a number of former players display their talents.
In particular, Zach Hyman—who was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs three years prior—dominated the Oilers’ playoff run, tallying fifteen goals after amassing fifty-four in the regular season. Fans of the Edmonton Oilers have laughed a lot at the team for their “mistake” of not signing the former University of Michigan graduate.
However, the Maple Leafs made the correct choice in not bringing back a number of other free agents in addition to Zach Hyman, who did not return.
Ilya Mikheyev, a free agent in2022, is the most recent player to join the ranks of Jake Gardiner’s and Frederik Andersen’s.
Canucks acquire former Toronto Maple Leafs player
Hyman had scored 15 goals in 43 games the previous season and had only contributed one point to a seven-game playoff series when he left for Edmonton. After a better season in which he scored 21 goals in 53 games during the 2021–22 season and added four points in a seven-game playoff series loss, Mikheyev was coming off a better campaign a year later.
After losing Hyman the previous season, the Maple Leafs’ management might have panicked and tried to overpay to retain the Russian winger. But, general manager Kyle Dubas chose not to match the Vancouver Canucks’ contract offer, and Mikheyev signed on the west coast.
Mikheyev signed a four-year contract worth $4.75 million per season, along with a modified non-trade clause. The Canucks’ trade of their forward to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night appears to have been a mistake as general manager Patrick Allvin had to keep their salary and give up a second-round pick.
Overall, the deal benefits the Hawks by giving Ilya Mikheyev 15% of his salary, which is retained by the Canucks, a second round pick, and a fourth round pick in exchange for Sam Lafferty, a pending free agent. After July 1, Lafferty is free to sign with any team, giving the Blackhawks a few days to try to come to an agreement.
Since leaving Toronto, Mikheyev’s life has not been as easy. In his debut season, he was sidelined for a while at the beginning of the season and did not play again until the beginning of February, ultimately playing in just 46 games and scoring 13 goals.
Mikheyev participated in almost all of the second season’s activities, but he only managed to score 11 goals and 31 points. He also failed to score in any of the 11 playoff games.
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