Wednesday evening, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Canucks and Blackhawks were working on a trade that would free up money on Vancouver’s payroll.
The journalist indicated that the transaction would involve Ilya Mikheyevthe rights for Sam Lafferty and a 2nd round pick.
Now it’s official: Vancouver traded Mikheyev (15% of retained salary), Lafferty and a 2nd round pick (2027) to Chicago in return for a 4th round pick (2027). The trade was already in place, but both sides were waiting for Mikheyev to waive his no-trade clause.
As Friedman mentioned, Vancouver made the deal in an effort to gain more cap space. Kyle Davidson therefore took the opportunity to subtract a 2nd round pick from his counterpart in order to take over the veteran’s contract.
With Mikheyev’s departure, the Canucks have just over $18 million to retain the services of players like Tyler Myers, Elias Lindholm et Dakota Joshua.
Besides, Pierre LeBrun reportedly mentioned that there is a lot of talk in Las Vegas right now regarding the Pacific Division champions wanting to make a serious bid for Jake Guentzel. It was revealed by Elliotte Friedman at the beginning of June that the Hurricanes were ready to part with their star in exchange for a first-round pick.
It would not be surprising if Guentzel asked for a good raise following his now expired contract which paid him the sum of $6 million per year. Vancouver would therefore have important decisions to make regarding its players whose agreements have just ended.
In other words, Patrick Allvin has his work cut out for him.
- Mikheyev, 29, collected 24 goals and 59 points in 124 games during his two seasons in Vancouver. His $4.75 million contract ends in 2026.
- Lafferty, 29, produced 13 goals and 24 points in 79 games during his lone campaign with the Canucks. This is the second stay in Chicago for the depth center, who played with the organization from 2022 to 2023. Without a contract extension in place, he will become a free agent on July 1.
