The Chicago Blackhawks allowed Ilya Mikheyev to reach free agency, despite him being one of their more important forwards over the last two years. 

In Mikheyev, you get a top-shelf penalty killer, along with a guy who can score anywhere from 15-20 goals a year with no power play time. 

He made sense in a bottom-six role for the Blackhawks, but they decided to let him walk. On Wednesday, Mikheyev signed a four-year deal with an average annual value of $3.85 million with the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Obviously, giving him that fourth year and residing in a tax-free state gave the Lightning an advantage over the Blackhawks in the negotiating, but would it have been so bad to pay him with an extra year rather than Cole Smith? That is something that Kyle Davidson will have to observe and answer for in the coming years. 

With the superstars that the Lightning have up front, like Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, and Brayden Point, amongst others, Mikheyev's speed on defense and the forecheck will fit in perfectly within their middle-six. 

Mikheyev is stepping into a situation where he can play a key role on a team looking to get back to the Stanley Cup Final. That likely went into his decision as well. It's a tough loss for the Blackhawks, but not one that can keep them down.

Moving forward, they need to find a way to replace his speed and penalty killing. Oliver Moore's role on the team grows significantly with Mikheyev gone, but it will be done by committee. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.