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Lightning 2026-27 Player Preview: Ilya Mikheyev
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- Lightning 2026-27 Player Preview: Ilya Mikheyev
The 2026-27 season is almost here for the Tampa Bay Lightning .
Due to this, we here at The Hockey News Lightning are starting a player preview series that will look at each Bolts player.
In this latest edition of the series, let's take a look at forward Ilya Mikheyev .
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Ilya Mikheyev Has The Potential To Be A Very Good Addition For The Lightning
During the summer, the Lightning signed Mikheyev to a four-year, $15.4 million contract in free agency. This has the potential to be a very good move for the Lightning, as Mikheyev is an impactful two-way forward who chips in offensively and works very well on the penalty kill.
Mikheyev showed exactly that over each of his last two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks . In 77 games last season for Chicago, he scored 18 goals and set a career high with 36 points. This was after he posted 20 goals and 34 points in 80 games with Chicago in 2024-25.
With numbers like these, Mikheyev has shown that he can be a solid top-nine forward in the NHL. Now, he will be aiming to do the same with the Lightning as they aim to keep their Stanley Cup window open.
