Canucks' Ilya Mikheyev back skating after six months on the mend: report
Ilya Mikheyev is back skating, as the speedy Vancouver Canucks forward continues a long road to recovery.
This is according to a report from CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, who spoke with Mikheyev’s agent Dan Milstein.
For the 1st time since Jan 27th when he was shutdown because of knee surgery, Ilya Mikheyev has started skating.
Agent Dan Milstein : We expect Ilya to be ready for the 2023-24season.#Canucks
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) July 28, 2023
We likely haven’t seen the best of Mikheyev, who played through a serious knee injury last season. The winger tore his ACL during his first preseason game with the Canucks. He was shut down on January 28 and underwent ACL surgery.
It’s been six months since Mikheyev last suited up for the Canucks. He had 28 points (13-15-28) in 46 games, in his first season on the west coast.
Signed to a four-year contract worth $4.75 million annually in free agency last summer, Mikheyev could prove to be an important player for the Canucks. The 28-year-old has speed and an ability to kill penalties, which are weaknesses for Vancouver.
How much offensive ability Mikheyev has in his arsenal is to be debated. He scored 21 goals in 53 games during his last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021-22. That’s a 32-goal pace over an 82-game season.
But in his other three NHL seasons, the Russian has just 28 goals in 139 games.
There could be a fit for Mikheyev on one of Vancouver’s top two lines, with Elias Pettersson or J.T. Miller. But Mikheyev could also fit on a checking line, with newcomer Teddy Blueger.
That’ll be for head coach Rick Tocchet to decide.
Regardless, if Mikheyev is good to go for training camp, that’ll be great news for the Canucks, who desperately want to get off to a good start next season. The first preseason game is two months away.