Montreal Canadiens: Free Agents Habs Should Target to Play With Shane Wright

Ilya Mikheyev

Ilya Mikheyev just had a breakout season offensively and has turned into a steady two-way player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Unfortunately for them, they may not be able to keep him.

The Russian left winger brings size, speed and skill to the table and scored 21 goals in just 53 games this season. His 32 points put him on a pace for 50 over a full season, but 32 of those points would have been goals.

The 27 year old will become an unrestricted free agent if the cap restricted Maple Leafs can’t find a way to free up space for him. That’s not likely as the team has about $8 million right now to pay a starting goaltender, as well as Mikheyev’s replacement, Ondrej Kase and Pierre Engvall and all of the players they brought in to fill gaps like Mark Giordano, Ilya Lyubushkin and Colin Blackwell.

Having played just 146 career NHL games, Mikheyev is not going to command an enormous salary or a six year commitment. But, at a reasonable cap hit on a three year deal, he could be a great fit alongside Wright and Gallagher. The three think the game well and could be nightmares for defences with their puck control and cycle in the offensive zone.

Mikheyev wouldn’t come in and score a point per game or anything. But the Canadiens depth chart on left wing isn’t deep and Drouin is likely entering the final year of his Habs tenure if he hasn’t already played his last game. A reasonable contract for a two-way left winger with speed and skill would give the Habs a little more depth on the left side and form a strong two-way line with Wright and Gallagher.