Toronto Maple Leafs: Ilya Mikheyev Is About to Get Rich

Pending UFA and soon-to-be, former Toronto Maple Leafs winger Ilya Mikheyev is about to become a very rich man.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that Ilya Mikheyev is looking for a “multi-year deal in the $4.75M AAV to $5.5M AAV range,” making him virtually unaffordable for the Toronto Maple Leafs (via: twitter.com).

Either the NHL’s salary-cap is about to go way up or Mikheyev’s agent is delusional because that seems like way too much money.

When you think about Mikheyev, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it his speed? Is it his inability to score on a breakaway? Or is it the fact that everyone called him “Soup” before Jack Campbell showed up and stole his nickname?

To me, I think “third-line.”

Mikheyev is a good third-line winger, who’s injury-prone and someone who hasn’t done anything when given an opportunity in the top-six. Head coach Sheldon Keefe has continued to give Mikheyev an opportunity on the second-line, but every time he gets demoted back to the thrid-line.

During the regular season, Mikheyev has provided OK stats, but nothing close to the $5M AAV that he’s seeking. In 146 career games, he has 36 goals and 72 points, but only has two goals and four points during his 19 career playoff games. (stats: hockeydb.com)

The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Drive Mikheyev to Airport at that Price

I know you’re not supposed to pay a player for what he’s previously done, and instead should be paying for his future work, but what is a team seriously expecting out of Mikheyev?

Mikheyev was scoring at 30-goal pace this season, so it is quite possible that he can hit that number with his future team, but I wouldn’t bank on it. During a contract year, the puck just seemed to go in the net a little more than usual this year and although he’s a good piece, he shouldn’t someone a team relies on in their top-six.

Mikheyev has speed, can play the penalty-kill and has shown that he can score, but it still seems like a ton of money for someone who has only had one good NHL season.

Maybe I’m wrong and Mikheyev will be a 25-30 goal-scorer for the next five years and make some other team very happy, but I think for $5M AAV, that money can be spent somewhere more efficiently, especially from the Leafs perspective.

Toronto will only be looking for value at the forward position again and if they’re going to spend money, it’ll be on defense or goaltending.

Mikheyev was a great depth piece for Toronto, but when the team needed him the most, he went pointless for his first 12 career playoff games, which really hurt the Leafs.

Best of luck to the 27-year-old, as he’s now officially priced himself out of a future with the Toronto Maple Leafs.