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Chicago Blackhawks right wing Ilya Mikheyev celebrates his goal against the Dallas Stars (David Banks-Imagn Images)

Blackhawks Should Avoid Trading Ilya Mikheyev

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Matteo Giuliano | Last updated Feb 25, 2026 10:05 AM ET

I recently wrote an article outlining three Chicago Blackhawks who could be traded before the NHL Trade Deadline. One of the three names I chose was NHL veteran Ilya Mikheyev.

In my article, I said Mikheyev would likely bring the Blackhawks a mid-round pick. After it was posted, a few people said it isn’t worth trading Mikheyev if that would be the return. That got me thinking.

Is Trading Mikheyev Actually Worth It?

I outlined the reasoning for why I made him a trade candidate, which I still stand by completely. Although I stand by it, and I think the evaluation of a mid-round pick is fair, I don’t think it’s worth trading him.

Mikheyev plays some important roles on this team, which I, as well as many others, pointed out. He is a defensively responsible winger who is on the first penalty-kill unit. He brings speed and reliability to the bottom half of the lineup for a team that will likely feature a lot of youth throughout its roster.

All of that is extremely valuable, but the reality is general managers aren’t going to pay a second or first-round pick for what Mikheyev does. For a team that is trying to push itself into playoff contention in the next couple of years, is a fourth-round pick useful?

The short answer is no. One of my colleagues here at The Hockey Writers, Jacob Billington, broke down the likelihood of players drafted in certain rounds playing in NHL games.

Through his research, he found that just 41 percent of fourth-round draft picks play a single game in the NHL, and that number drops to 12.7 percent when looking at fourth-rounders who have played 300 or more NHL games.

Even the players who actually do end up playing typically have a long road to the NHL if they are even able to make it.

With all that taken into consideration, I don’t see why the Blackhawks would be dying to move a veteran on a young team, who plays significant roles for a fourth-round pick. If there is an offer for a second-round pick, then you obviously do it, but I don’t see that being available to Blackhawks general manager, Kyle Davidson.

Contract Situation

Now, the next thing to take into consideration with Mikheyev is the fact that he is a free agent after this season. He is currently on a deal where he is making an average annual value (AAV) of $4.75 million, and will be 32 by the start of next season.

Letting him walk without trading him makes no sense, so what would the contract look like for the aging right winger?

The Blackhawks have tons of cap space right now, but when the young prospects start playing through their entry-level contracts (ELCs), they’re going to need all the space they can get. So while Davidson was able to overpay for veterans like Nick Foligno and Corey Perry in the past, he needs to start getting some value deals.

Mikheyev’s current contract has always been expensive. While what he brings is valuable, it isn’t $4.75 million valuable.

I’m not quite sure what the market would look like for Mikheyev if he were to test free agency this summer, but I would like to see his number come in around $3.25 million. When it comes to the term, his age concerns me.

Mikheyev has wheels, and I wonder if those legs start to go in the next couple of years as he gets older. That being said, you’re going to have to give him a reason to re-sign, so I would offer him a two to three-year deal.

If that gets it done, great; if not, the Blackhawks shouldn’t overextend themselves to keep a bottom-six winger.