Ilya Mikheyev injured in first preseason game with Canucks

Sep 26 2022, 1:05 am

Ilya Mikheyev’s preseason debut with the Vancouver Canucks was a short one.

The former Toronto Maple Leafs forward, who signed a four-year, $19 million contract with the Canucks in free agency, left tonight’s preseason opener partway through the game after a heavy hit from Calgary Flames defenceman Nick DeSimone.

 

The Canucks later announced that Mikheyev, who scored 21 goals and 11 assists in 53 games last season, would not return to the game.

We’ll have to wait to hear about the severity of the 27-year-old Russian’s ailment, although injury updates are often closely-guarded secrets in the NHL.

Mikheyev had been put in a prominent role by Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau, playing on a line with Elias Pettersson and countryman Andrei Kuzmenko. Mikheyev was also brought to help the Canucks’ penalty kill.

The Canucks went on to lose the home game 3-2 in overtime, receiving goals from Vasily Podkolzin and Conor Garland.

Vancouver’s next preseason game is on Thursday at Rogers Arena, against the Seattle Kraken.

More to come…

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