Moments ago, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Vancouver Canucks are trading Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, and a second round draft pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in what's expected to be a salary cap dump.
Mikheyev makes an inflated $4.75M in salary for the next two years, which is the real cap dump for the Canucks in this trade. Mikheyev had been signed as a free agent from the Leafs with high expectations for offence, but only produced 11 goals and 32 points in 78 games this year. The Blackhawks will also get the rights to sign UFA Sam Lafferty, who last played for Chicago in 2023. If Mikheyev waives his no-trade clause, the Canucks will receive just a 4th round pick in return.
Mikheyev was coming off a a torn ACL from last season, which has always seemed to reduce players effectiveness for a longer period of time. The Blackhawks need to hit the salary floor, but will also be hoping that Mikheyev can rebound to his past offensive production.
This trade will produce plenty of cap room for the Canucks to potentially pursue a free agent, but also to re-sign some of their new additions in Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm. At the very least, the Canucks will have more options financially after this trade - and it's definitely a sign they're cooking up something big.
