Early in the second period, Mikheyev was caught with a high hit in the corner by Flames defenseman Nicholas Meloche. It appeared that Meloche's elbow made contact with Mikheyev's chin as he turned around looking for the puck. It doesn't look like there was any intent on Meloche's part to hit Mikheyev in the head, but nonetheless, Mikheyev's Canucks debut was short-lived as he didn't return for the remainder of the game.
Mikheyev signed in Vancouver this off-season after scoring at a 30-goal pace in the second half of last season for the Leafs, while also being a dominant presence on the penalty kill. He priced himself out of Toronto and followed the money to the West coast. It will be interesting to see if his removal from the game was precautionary or if there is an underlying issue after the hit.
POLL | ||
26 SEPTEMBRE | 234 ANSWERS Watch: Former Leaf Ilya Mikheyev injured in preseason game in Vancouver How many games will Mikheyev play for the Canucks this season? | ||
Less than 20 | 55 | 23.5 % |
21-40 | 68 | 29.1 % |
41-60 | 77 | 32.9 % |
61-82 | 34 | 14.5 % |
List of polls |