The Hockey Writers journalist Jim Parsons Sr. analyzed Ilya Mikheyev’s move from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Vancouver Canucks and touched on the forward’s injury history. The Russian forward has signed a four-year contract with the Orcas, under which he will earn $4.75 million per season.
The big question facing the Canucks is whether last season was an anomaly for Mikheyev or will it become the norm for this fast young Russian forward?
The Canucks are banking heavily on the fact that Mikheyev’s season wasn’t a one-off. He’s in the top six in terms of salary at the club. “Vancouver is also betting that Mikheyev’s injury history is an anomaly, not his propensity for injury. Given the nature of his injuries (e.g. a cut with a skate blade), this might seem like a good bet. If Mikheyev can play a full season and play all 82 games and his shot completion percentage doesn’t drop, he would be a good addition to the Canucks roster.
Betting on his sniping skills also seems like a good bet. Mikheev has been terribly unlucky with injuries. But those injuries have been to his hands and wrists, affecting his ability to score. Last season his hands were fine – and he scored 21 goals. Will he be able to score more than 30 goals? “If so, that bodes well for Vancouver,” the journalist wrote.