Ilya Mikheyev

Mikheyev was able to play in 78 regular-season contests in 2023-24, earning 11 goals and 20 assists with 147 shots on net for the Canucks. That would be his second and final year with the team, as Vancouver dumped his salary off to Chicago in a trade just before the draft. Regardless of how much he's played, Mikheyev appears to peak as a 30-35-point winger who adds little in physicality. There's room for a scoring-only winger in deep fantasy formats, but the Blackhawks were aggressive in adding to their forward group this offseason, so it's unlikely Mikheyev will get more than middle-six usage and a chance at power-play time in 2024-25. Factor in the injury risk, and there are better options to fill out the bottom of your roster on draft day.

Mikheyev's 2022-23 was cut short by ACL surgery midway through the season, and there's no telling if he'll be ready for training camp. When he was in the lineup, the winger recorded 28 points in 46 contests, putting him well on his way to a career year before the operation. If he can prove he's healthy this year, he'll have some genuine appeal as a sleeper given his 60 points over his last 99 contests. He'll spend most of 2023-24 at 29 years old and should be good for a middle-six role with some power-play time, though he'll add virtually nothing in physicality, so he'll need to show up on offense.

On the hunt for a bigger role following three steady seasons in Toronto, Mikheyev joined the Canucks this past July on a four-year, $19 million contract. Mikheyev missed the early portion of the year with a thumb injury before returning in mid-December and playing in all 53 games the rest of the way. He finished with a career-high 21 goals, 32 points, and plus-16 rating. Mikheyev is an excellent penalty killer and good source of secondary scoring at even strength, but he's never offered much production with the man advantage and that seems unlikely to change with his new club. He's only an option in the deepest of fantasy formats.

Mikheyev endured a bit of a sophomore slump in 2020-21, recording just seven goals and 10 assists in 54 contests. The Russian winger was limited to third-line duties for the most part, but he's poised for a bounce-back season in a top-six role now that Zach Hyman is in Edmonton. Mikheyev should play alongside either Auston Matthews (wrist) or John Tavares (concussion), both of whom are expected to be ready to start the year. With a plum assignment in store, Mikheyev should push for 15-20 goals, 45-50 points and at least second-unit power-play duties. The 26-year-old could be a sleeper in fantasy drafts this fall -- don't get caught napping.

Soup's breakout in 2019-20 was cut short by a skate blade right before New Year's. He tallied eight goals and 15 assists in just 39 games and quickly became a fan favorite. And his game was trending up when that gruesome wrist injury happened. Mikheyev inked a two-year deal in October for under market value that will likely see him in the Leafs' top six through 2021-22. He won't get power-play time, but he'll deliver value in large, deep formats.

Mikheyev is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound winger from the KHL who was coveted by many teams this past spring. He chose the Leafs after putting up 23 goals and 22 assists in 62 regular-season games with Avengard Omsk and another 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in the playoffs. Mikheyev knows how to finish and coach Mike Babcock thinks the winger will have a big role with the Leafs. The soon-to-be 25-year-old plays a responsible two-way game, and while he doesn't bang, he protects the puck well with his size. Plus, he can kill penalties. Coming to the NHL will be an adjustment, but Mikheyev should have every opportunity to become a solid, third-line player in 2019-20.