Toronto announced that it was ready to consider selling the rights to Russian striker Ilya Mikheev. The curious thing about this situation is that in just two weeks he will be an unrestricted free agent.

Why is this deal needed at all?

Mikheev is too good for Toronto

Mikheev has nothing to reproach himself with this season: playing for Toronto, he showed the best performance in his overseas career, scoring 21 goals and making 11 assists in 53 regular season games. But at the same time, he was recovering from a finger injury for eight weeks. In addition, this season, the Russian for the first time opened the scoring in the playoffs. Toronto’s path in the Stanley Cup turned out to be short – only seven hard-fought games against Tampa, but Mikheev played far from the last violin in this confrontation, giving two assists and scoring two goals.

In a good financial situation, Toronto would never have refused such a high-quality hockey player: he adds depth to the squad, is excellent when playing in the minority, and the Maple Leafs already say about the speed of Mikheev, who literally flies away from someone else’s defense on counterattacks legends.

Ilya Mikheev / Photo: © REUTERS/Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

But the reality is that Toronto has just over $6 million under the salary cap to sign free agents and other rookies. According to TSN a week ago, the club did not even make an offer to Mikheev. Maybe the Maple Leafs understand that they will not be able to interest the Russian, and it is irrational to spend all the free money on him.

What does the hockey player count on?

Mikheev is one of the few Russians who came to North America undrafted and was able to show almost everything he is capable of. At 24, he decided to take a chance and trade a safe and well-fed life at the Vanguard for a contract with Toronto. I had to work hard there, fight my way through the rookie camp, get used to the new playing style and prove my worth to the team.

There was no need to buy a ticket to Russia at the end of one season: Mikheev managed to impress the demanding Maple Leafs coaching staff, and he signed a new two-year contract for a rather modest 1.6 million a year. It was clear to everyone that this was a kind of bridge contract, another test of strength for the Russian.

Having passed another overseas exam and finally joined the new league, at the end of this season, 27-year-old Mikheev is ready to sign a new contract in the NHL, which definitely deserves to be longer and more expensive than the previous ones. According to experts, he may well qualify for a solid 4-5 million a year for his role on ice.

Why would Toronto sell Mikheev?

“Toronto” definitely falls out of the race for Mikheev – he does not have such finances. This means that on July 13, when the Russian officially becomes an unrestricted free agent, he will have a choice from all other NHL clubs. However, two weeks earlier, Toronto had expressed its willingness to sell the rights to the striker. What is this maneuver?

Ilya Mikheev / Photo: © Andrew Lahodynskyj / Contributor / National Hockey League / Gettyimages.com

In fact, everything is explained quite simply: according to the rules, the club that owns the rights to the player is the only one in the entire league that can offer the hockey player not a seven-year, but an eight-year contract – this is the maximum possible period. In addition, such a club has priority in negotiations with a hockey player regarding competing teams. If someone from the league is seriously interested in Mikheev in the long term, he can “book” the hockey player right now. In exchange for the Russian, Toronto is likely to be satisfied with one of the draft picks.

This is not the first attempt by the Maple Leafs to get rid of a hockey player shortly before the deadline and actually make money out of thin air – last year they tried to do the same with forward Zack Hyman, in whom Edmonton was interested. Although the deal ultimately fell through, the Oilers still signed the forward to a seven-year contract.