NEWSLETTER
The Blackhawks are looking to add quality players around Connor Bedard this summer. But they also still have a lot of cap space; they still need to spend around $10M to get to the salary floor for the 2024-25 season. So why not use their cap space to continue adding assets and bring in a quality player?
Oh, and how about grabbing a pick to take a nice player out of Vancouver while they’re at it?
The Blackhawks acquired forward Ilya Mikheyev, the rights to pending UFA (and former Blackhawk) forward Sam Lafferty and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Oh, and Vancouver is retaining 15 percent of Mikheyev’s contract.
Mikheyev has waived his no-trade clause to accept the deal to Chicago.
Mikheyev, who turns 30 on Oct. 10, had 30 points in 78 games with the Canucks last season. He has two years remaining on his contract that carries a $4.75M cap hit. He signed a four-year deal with Vancouver two years ago after scoring 21 goals in Toronto, but it just hasn’t worked with the Canucks. He’s a productive player, but a complimentary one. He averaged just over 14 minutes per game for Vancouver this past season. Mikheyev’s 2022-23 season was cut short by ACL surgery and he wasn’t quite the same player.
Sound like… Jason Dickinson? (Who, by the way, the Blackhawks got from Vancouver with their 2024 second-round pick to get his money off their books.)
Lafferty is a known commodity here after spending time in Chicago before he was traded before the 2023 NHL trade deadline. He could seamlessly slide into a bottom-six role — if he signs.
