Let me start by saying I’m already excited to see who will be this year’s addition to one of my recent favorite annual trends:
#Canucks are able to get off Jason Dickinson’s contract, sending him to #Blackhawks in a trade along with a second-round pick in exchange for defenseman Riley Stillman.#Hawks had let all teams know they were willing to take on contracts.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 8, 2022
Jason Dickinson, signed to a 2x$4.25M extension by CHI, is a defensive bottom six centre who went on a shooting tear at just the right time. Good for him. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/UxQ6Em0aRu
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 16, 2024
Ilya Mikheyev hasn’t formally agreed to waive his no-trade clause yet to go to #Blackhawks, but provided he does, teams have agreement in place on a trade:
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 27, 2024
To #Blackhawks: Ilya Mikheyev, 2nd Rd Pick, pending UFA Sam Lafferty
To #Canucks: 4th Rd Pick@DailyFaceoff
Ilya Mikheyev, reportedly headed to CHI pending NTC waive, is a two-way rushing winger who produces and creates scoring chances pretty efficiently but can be real frustrating when the pucks aren't going in – like in the 2024 playoffs, for example. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/EAuYMh19QM
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 27, 2024
Somebody please let Jim Rutherford know — who’s already having quite the offseason, in case you missed it — that we’ll gladly take Conor Garland or Kiefer Sherwood off his hands as soon as he’s ready (and don’t forget the second round pick as well).
Acquired last summer for essentially nothing, Ilya Mikheyev followed the Jason Dickinson-ian trajectory of being a salary dump from the Canucks who joined the Blackhawks and immediately turned into one of their best defensive forwards and penalty killers before also showcasing some surprising offensive upside and setting a new career-high in points (20 G, 14 A).
The questions Dave posed to me in regard to this recap were — is there more offense under the hood for Mikheyev, and would he be worth extending for a few more years?
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