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Blackhawks Are Going To Miss This Off-Season Departure
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- Blackhawks Are Going To Miss This Off-Season Departure
The Chicago Blackhawks have brought in some new players this off-season as they look to take a step forward in 2026-27. However, they also had some departures from last season's roster.
The most notable player the Blackhawks lost through free agency this off-season is Ilya Mikheyev . The 31-year-old winger signed a four-year, $15.4 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning and should now be a solid part of their forward group.
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Seeing Mikheyev sign elsewhere was certainly one of the tough moments of the Blackhawks' off-season. The veteran forward was a key contributor on the Blackhawks' roster, and they will miss him now that he is in Tampa Bay .
Mikheyev made his biggest impact with the Blackhawks with his excellent penalty-killing and two-way play. He also provided Chicago with solid secondary scoring during each of his two seasons with the Original Six club. In 77 games last season was Chicago, he recorded 18 goals and a career-high 36 points. This was after he had 20 goals and 34 points in 80 games for the Blackhawks in 2024-25.
With this, there is no question that Mikheyev was a valuable part of the Blackhawks' roster during his two-year stay with the team. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact he can make with the Bolts from here.
