Blackhawks Get Forward Ilya Mikheyev, Re-Acquire Sam Lafferty From Canucks

Canucks unload some salaries, open cap space as they did when they traded Anthony Beauvillier to the Blackhawks last November.

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired a pair of depth forwards, Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty, and a 2027 second round pick from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2027 fourth round pick late on Wednesday night. 

Vancouver will retain 15% of Mikheyev’s $4.75 million annual salary for the remaining two seasons of his four-year contract. 

Chicago gets a pair of reliable bottom-6 forwards in the deal. The Canucks, who won the Pacific Division in 2023-24 and pushed the Edmonton Oilers to seven games in the second playoff round, shed salaries and opened some cap space. 

The move is reminiscent of a Nov. 28, 2023 deal when Vancouver sent overpaid forward Anthony Beauvillier and his $4.15 million AAV contract to an injury-depleted Chicago team.

Mikheyev's and Lafferty's Histories

The 29-year-old Mikheyev recorded 11 goals and 31 points in 78 regular-season games with the Canucks in 2023-24. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound left-handed shooter played an average of 14:15 per game and established a new NHL career high with 20 assists.

Mikheyev skated in a postseason career-high 11 games through the first two rounds of the 2024 playoffs before the Canucks fell to Edmonton.

The native of Omsk, Russia has posted 60 goals and 131 points in 270 career regular-season games with Toronto and Vancouver. Mikheyev has also made four career trips to the playoffs, logging four points in 30 career postseason games.

He was originally undrafted and signed with Toronto as a free agent on May 6, 2019.

Lafferty, also 29, recorded a career high 13 goals and and 24 points in 79 regular-season contests with Vancouver in 2023-24. He averaged 11:53 of ice time per game.

Lafferty skated in 11 postseason contests with the Canucks, logging 27 hits.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward has tallied 36 goals and 83 points in 289 career regular-season games over five seasons with Pittsburgh, Chicago, Toronto and Vancouver. 

Lafferty spent parts of two seasons with the Blackhawks from 2021-23, notching 15 goals and in 97 games.

The Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania native was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft.