The Lightning's decision to sign this former Blackhawks forward has the potential to be a very good move.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have had a busy 2026 NHL off-season.
The Bolts have added multiple new players to their roster this summer. Among their newcomers is Ilya Mikheyev, as the Lightning signed him to a four-year, $15.4 million contract.
While Mikheyev may not been the NHL's biggest signing this summer, he has the potential to be an excellent addition to the Lightning's roster.
There is a lot to like about Mikheyev's game. The 31-year-old should provide the Lightning with solid secondary offensive production, and his numbers with the Chicago Blackhawks over the last two seasons show this.
In 77 games last season with Chicago, Mikheyev posted 18 goals and a career-high 36 points. This was after he scored a career-high 20 goals and recorded 34 points in 80 games with Chicago in 2024-25. With numbers like these, the 6-foot-2 winger is certainly capable of making an impact offensively.
However, another big reason why the Lightning's decision to sign Mikheyev should pay off is because of his strong defensive play. The seven-year NHL veteran is extremely effective on the penalty kill and should help the Bolts out tremendously because of it.
It will be interesting to see how much of an impact Mikheyev can make after signing his multi-year deal with the Lightning from here.
