Apparently Mikheyev knew he was going to Vancouver a month or more before it happened; are the Canucks guilty of tampering?
When Ilya Mikheyev requested a trade from the Leafs last summer, I think just about everyone knew that the countdown was on until he departed as a UFA this summer. But, just how soon did Mikheyev know that Vancouver was where he'd land? Well, apparently, it was at least a month before it happened.
According to the Vancouver Sun's Patrick Johnston, Mikheyev was a big reason why highly coveted Russian free agent Andrei Kuzmenko decided to sign with the Canucks after coming over from the KHL this summer. Kuzmenko reportedly asked Mikheyev, a close friend, for advice on which team he should sign with last month an it was at that time when Mikheyev (who was still under contract with the Leafs) advised him to sign with the Canucks.
I would not be shocked in the least if there was some tampering here on the Canucks' part. Teams generally are not supposed to approach players prior to the start of free agency, however, we see it every season where rumours of potential deals are leaked before free agency even begins. Sometimes weeks or even months in advance.
Nevertheless, I don't think the Leafs would pursue a grievance or accuse the Canucks of tampering given the deal that Mikheyev signed. He was never going to get $4.75M per season over 4 seasons in Toronto, so I think the Leafs are happy just quietly moving on.
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14 JUILLET | 1 ANSWERS Apparently Mikheyev knew he was going to Vancouver a month or more before it happened; are the Canucks guilty of tampering? Are the Canucks guilty of tampering in signing Mikheyev? | ||
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