While the youth movement has made its’ way up for the Chicago Blackhawks this season, a couple of veterans posted career years in big ways. Figuring out which older guys in the lineup needed to stay around for the long haul was something that took the coaching staff time. Even though Luke Richardson was relieved of his duties as head coach in December, Anders Sorensen quickly began to tinker with the forward groups himself.
Six of the team’s eight first round draft choices were on the NHL roster at some point this season, which is extremely encouraging for fans as they look ahead to next year. Despite many young faces set to compete for opening night roster spots out of camp, there will still be a handful of veterans under contract for next season.
With the front office needing to do whatever they can to hit the salary floor along with having enough experience on the team to make the group competitive, having a few forwards take strides this past season was vital. One of the wingers who notched single-season career highs is Ilya Mikheyev, who might have found himself a long term home in the Windy City.
Ilya Mikheyev had a career year for the Chicago Blackhawks
Mikheyev spent the previous two seasons in Vancouver prior to being acquired by the Blackhawks over the summer. This season marked the first of the 30-year-old’s career where he played his home games in the states, as he spent the first three years of his career with the Maple Leafs.
The veteran logged 80 games with Chicago this past year, which was the most he had played in a single year as a professional so far. In those 80 contests, Mikheyev scored 20 goals and collected 14 assists for a total of 34 points while being a consistent top-six winger. He had never posted 20 goals in a campaign prior to this past year and his point total was his best as well.
Mikheyev and Ryan Donato each tore it up in their own ways this past year which helped the young forwards on the squad that were adjusting to life in the NHL. Donato had the lone 30-goal season on the team, as he posted 31 goals and 31 assists in his 80 games.
The Chicago Blackhawks could keep Ilya Mikheyev around longer
Mikheyev’s current contract expires at the end of next season, which will force general manager Kyle Davidson to make a decision on his future with the organization. He is currently set to make $4.75 million next year, and that salary could remain in the ballpark for his next deal if he has another year like this past season.
With the Blackhawks set to potentially pursue a big name in the open market this summer like Mitch Marner, their financial situation could look much different at this time next year. The front office will also be focusing on giving out extensions to the young cornerstones of the franchise over the next couple of years, so their cap flexibility will be changed.
Despite all of this, Mikheyev plays well with Connor Bedard and has the speed to keep up with the 19-year-old phenom. If the two continue to gel next seasons and good results follow, it will be hard to turn away the idea of keeping Mikheyev around on another contract.
Chicago Blackhawks interim head coach admits that veteran players were frustrated during the season
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