Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Ilya Mikheyev To An Entry Level Deal

The Toronto Maple Leafs made headlines this morning by adding a highly coveted KHL-forward into the organization.

It started as a rumour spread throughout the Twitterverse, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have made it into a reality. With an offseason expected to include drastic changes to the roster, today marks the first official transaction of the coming turnover.

The Maple Leafs announced the signing of Russian forward Ilya Mikheyev to a 1-year entry level contract this morning. The cap hit is projected to be at $925,000 for the 2019-20 season, per Cap Friendly.

Here are the official details of the signing from the Leafs Twitter page:

Nearly two weeks ago, it was first reported that the Leafs expressed interest in acquiring his services, with the Vegas Golden Knights being the only other team close to getting him. It was reported by Bob McKenzie of TSN that Mike Babcock had been in contact with the player throughout, which may have factored into Mikheyev signing with Toronto.

Skilled two-way forward with size

Perhaps one of the reasons Babcock was interested in Mikheyev was because the latter stands at 6’2” and weighs 194 pounds. More importantly, he is a skilled two-way forward who could provide value to the Leafs top-9 unit.

This past season, Mikheyev played for the Avangard Omsk and led his team in scoring with 23 goals, 22 assists, and 45 points in 62 games played. He went on to record 4 goals, 7 assists, and 11 points as he helped guide his team to the Gargain Cup Finals, which they ultimately lost to CSKA Moscow.

He has been a keen goal-scorer wherever he’s played, which could definitely be a worthy addition to the Leafs top-9. This could also come in handy during 3-on-3 overtime as he has shown to be a threat to generate offence whenever he’s on the ice.

Based on scouting reports, he is seen as a player with good speed, strong on the puck, and has keen hockey-IQ. Mikheyev is also good at reading defensive plays and can be effective on both the power play and penalty kill, making him a dual threat at both ends of the ice. Considering how Osmk was a low-scoring team this season, that makes his offensive production all the more impressive.

As a result, this makes today’s move one of precaution in case of a potential departure of either Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson. Both players share similar traits to Mikheyev, meaning the latter should be able to offset the damage if one of them cannot be retained.

It could also spell the end of Connor Brown’s tenure in Toronto, given the similar role that Mikheyev could provide on the Leafs. With Brown’s contract a prime candidate to be moved this summer, this could make for a smooth transition for the Russian forward to take over Brown’s role.

Even if all three players listed above remain on the Leafs for next season, Mikheyev would no-doubt be a worthy addition to the top-10 forward core. With his strong two-way play, this move could help elevate the team in terms of balance on offence.

Regardless of what moves will follow afterwards, today’s signing is a nice get for the Leafs as they added a highly coveted forward into the mix who will no doubt help the team at both ends of the ice. When the new campaign kicks off, he will be 25-years-old and entering the prime of his career which means the Leafs will be getting Mikheyev at his best right away.

For fans who want to get a glimpse of what the newest member of the team has to offer, he was named to the Russian roster for the 2019 IIHF World Championship beginning on Friday.

All stats unless otherwise noted are from Elite Prospects.com.

All salary numbers are from Cap Friendly.