Sheldon Keefe responds to whether or not the Leafs are missing Ilya Mikheyev
Ahead of tonight's game against the Vancouver Canucks, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke with the media about a variety of things, from the Leafs' goaltending situation to a possible game-time decision on defense to former Leaf Ilya Mikheyev. Tonight's Canucks/Leafs game will mark the first time that Mikheyev faces off against his former team and, admittedly, Keefe does miss what Mikheyev brought to the table in Toronto.
-Keefe on Mikheyev
The Leafs wanted all along to retain Mikheyev, but it was the Russian winger who priced himself out of Toronto. In advance of last season, Mikheyev had actually requested a trade, stating that he didn't feel as though he was being utilized properly and wanted more opportunity.
The Leafs did not grant his trade request. Instead, the Buds used him as a bit of a Swiss Army knife and used him in the bottom six, top six, on the PK and on the team's 2nd PP unit. The result was a career year for Mikheyev, which he parlayed into a 4-year deal worth a whopping $19M, a $4.75M AAV. That was way more than what the Leafs could afford to pay.
Will Mikheyev get on the board against his former team? That certainly seems to be the common theme among players who depart Toronto. They always seem to come back and fill the net, so placing a small wager on Mikheyev putting one in the back of the net might just end up being easy money.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 12 | 205 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe responds to whether or not the Leafs are missing Ilya Mikheyev Should the Leafs have done more to try to keep Mikheyev in Toronto? | ||
| Yes, he was such a useful player | 87 | 42.4 % |
| No, he was oft injured and wanted too much money | 118 | 57.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
