Report: Mikheyev considering staying put with the Leafs, but Dubas may have to move out some salary to re-sign him
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, this summer is expected to be one of significant change. The club is potentially looking at two new goaltenders and up front, several of their forwards from last season are on expiring deals, including Ondrej Kase, Pierre Engvall, Jason Spezza (now retired), Colin Blackwell and Ilya Mikheyev.
While Engvall and Kase are set to become restricted free agents, Blackwell and Mikheyev are set to become UFA's and, as such, they'll be able to negotiate deals with any team they please on July 13th. There is currently no word on what the Leafs expect to have happen with Blackwell, but a recent quote from Dan Milstein, Ilya Mikheyev's agent, suggests that Mikheyev could be back in Toronto next season after all.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun revealed on Tuesday that Milstein commented that the Leafs are a "world class organization" and that they have treated Mikheyev extremely well. Because of this, Mikheyev is willing to negotiate a new deal with the team, despite requesting a trade last summer. The kicker here is that, as LeBrun reports, Mikheyev is looking for an AAV in the $3.5M range, so it's really going to come down to whether or not Mikheyev wants to remain a Leaf or if the money is more important to him at this stage in his career.
Mikheyev has had 2 of his 3 seasons in Toronto derailed by significant injuries, which have undoubtedly prevented him from truly reaching his maximum potential and find his groove in the NHL. That said, when he has been healthy, he has shown his ability to change games with his blazing speed and an ever-improving finishing ability.
The 27-year-old winger posted career highs in goals (21) and points (32) last season, playing a middle six role with plenty of special teams utilization. Mikheyev is a primary penalty killer and a secondary power play option for the Buds, and at multiple points throughout the season, he has found himself taking shifts with John Tavares and William Nylander, though his primary line mates were Pierre Engvall and David Kampf. The trio formed one of the best shutdown lines in hockey last season.
I can't imagine that very many people will be opposed to the idea of bringing Mikheyev back. "Cobra" AKA "Souperman" has been a fan favourite since arriving in Toronto. He does seem like a potential candidate to take a slightly lower AAV to remain in the situation that he's in, so long as he has assurances from the Buds that his role with the club will not diminish next season. With the way he played this year, I can't imagine that the Leafs would have any issues with bringing him back to play a similar role with the club in 2022-23.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 7 | 936 ANSWERS Report: Mikheyev considering staying put with the Leafs, but Dubas may have to move out some salary to re-sign him What is the top dollar that you'd be willing to pay to bring back Ilya Mikheyev? | ||
| $2M AAV | 123 | 13.1 % |
| $2.75M AAV | 341 | 36.4 % |
| $3M AAV | 327 | 34.9 % |
| $3.5M AAV | 145 | 15.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
