Former Maple Leaf Ilya Mikheyev Is Thriving in Chicago and Fans Can't Help but Notice
Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
A player who seemed to fly under the radar for the Toronto Maple Leafs is forward Ilya Mikheyev, but now in Chicago people can't help but notice just how good he is.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Ilya Mikheyev in 2019 out of the KHL, few knew exactly the type of player the team was getting, but he made the most of it and put in a solid three years, including a 21-goal season for the team in 2021-22.
But the team elected not to re-sign him and he headed to Vancouver before being traded over to Chicago along with Sam Lafferty in a deal that not many thought much of at the beginning.
Chicago Reporter Calls Ilya Mikheyev «Indispensable» to the Blackhawks
Though looking at things now, it seems like both Toronto and Vancouver might regret letting him go.
Emerging as a true two-way force in Chicago, analysts and fans have been praising Mikheyev and it was the topic of discussion on the latest episode of The Sheet w/ Jeff Marek.
Alongside Mark Lazarus, Marek talked about how the Blackhawks were able to find a diamond in the rough, with Lazarus chiming in about just how important he is to the team:
Mikheyev is an indispensable and core part of this team, they are not going to let him go. This guy is a great skater, incredible defensive player. he's fantastic in his own end.
Last year the puck started to go in for him, he had 20 goals and this year he has three goals over the last two games.
He does whatever they want, he never complains. He kills penalties, and when they need a bump they put him with Bedard and they work well together. You can slot him anywhere and he'll be effective.
It's always a shock to me when guys who struggle so much somewhere, then show up on a worse team no less, and all that chaos; they just seem to thrive in it.
Last year the puck started to go in for him, he had 20 goals and this year he has three goals over the last two games.
He does whatever they want, he never complains. He kills penalties, and when they need a bump they put him with Bedard and they work well together. You can slot him anywhere and he'll be effective.
It's always a shock to me when guys who struggle so much somewhere, then show up on a worse team no less, and all that chaos; they just seem to thrive in it.
We knew that Mikheyev could score given his 21-goal campaign previously mentioned, but coupled with a true 200-foot game and you've got a seriously impactful player.
How Ilya Mikheyev Has Quietly Evolved Since Leaving Toronto
Chicago brought him in and all of a sudden it's like a switch flipped; he became relentless defensively, and was trusted immediately to help out and was given every opportunity to shine.
He was not part of the plans for Toronto even after a fantastic season, and it's perplexing to understand why they refused to keep him.
It's one thing that the Maple Leafs tend to have an issue with, and their inability to be patient and let some players thrive and grow without just swapping in and out has hurt them.
Look at Zach Hyman, who the team didn't want to bring back. He decided to have a 50-goal season with the Edmonton Oilers, and he's evolved into one of the league's elite power forwards.
Going to a team who prioritized his development and trusted him to lead the way has paid off in spades for Mikheyev, and it seems that he truly found his spot in the NHL with Chicago.
Which is an unfortunate turn of events for the Maple Leafs who would have loved to have kept him, but I don't think they, nor anyone anticipated just how important Ilya Mikheyev is.
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