The Tampa Bay Lightning went into July 1 with a clear target in mind: get faster. They believe they did exactly that by bringing in Ilya Mikheyev on a four-year, $15.4 million contract.
Mikheyev arrives after the best offensive season of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he put up 36 points in 77 games. That total came from 18 goals and 18 assists, and his 18 goals were good for third on the team. He also established career highs in points and average ice time, logging 17:26 per game over his two seasons in Chicago.
What makes Mikheyev appealing to Tampa Bay goes beyond the box score. He can move up and down the lineup, handle defensive work, and contribute on the penalty kill. Last season, he led all Blackhawks forwards in shorthanded time on ice, a sign of how much trust he earned in tough minutes.
“Excellent forechecker, brings a lot of speed to our group,” Lightning vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois said of Mikheyev. “We're trying to add speed to our group.
He wins puck battles, so I think he's going to fit really well on our team. He adds some speed, has size, wins puck battles and tilts the ice in our favor.”
That skating ability is the headline here. Mikheyev gives the Lightning another forward who can keep up with the league’s quickest players while still holding his own in a two-way role. BriseBois pointed to that speed as a real asset in the Atlantic Division, especially after what Tampa Bay saw in its seven-game series against Montreal.
Mikheyev says he’s comfortable wherever the Lightning need him. “I can play everywhere,” he said.
“In any situation it feels good, and of course I feel good on the PK for sure. For me, I just help the team be better in all situations.”
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Sabres May Have An Edge If The Atlantic Gets Drained Again
The Atlantic Divisions last season was shaped by more than just the usual race for points, and the Olympic break may have left a different kind of mark on some teams than others. Buffalo and Montreal were built more like spread-out, younger rosters, which could have helped them navigate a compressed schedule better than clubs leaning harder on veteran stars who spent a lot of time at the Winter Olympics.
For Tampa Bay, the broader takeaway is less about one standings quirk than about how much roster makeup matters when the calendar gets crowded. The divisions teams sent varying numbers of players to the Olympics, and those differences mattered because fatigue does not hit every lineup the same way, especially when a clubs best players are asked to carry so much of the load. [Read more 🡒]