Ilya Mikheyev not only avoided an arbitration date on Wednesday, he’ll be a Maple Leaf at least two more years.
Late Tuesday, the 25-year-old winger signed for two years at $1.645 million.
After his roller-coaster first season, there was great difficulty determining his value for 2020-21.
Unable to reach a new contract with general manager Kyle Dubas after a severed wrist wiped out almost all his second half of 2019-20, Mikheyev took the club to arbitration. That hearing was to be Wednesday.
Mikheyev’s agent, Daniel Milstein, was aiming high with a $2.7-million US proposal for one year. Already tight to the cap, the Leafs offered just $1 million, but for two years. No matter what figure the arbitrator chose, since Milstein initiated the arbitration, the Leafs would get to select the term, though there was no ‘walk away’ option for the team.
Had the 25-year-old kept up his early pace of eight goals and 23 points in 39 games, he’d be due a lot more money. But needing months of rehab following that late December skate blade accident in New Jersey, he didn’t play again until the August playoffs and like many teammates, was kept in check as the Columbus playoff series ended the season in one round. That was not a lot of ammunition to take into the hearing, but any ill will was avoided by Tuesday’s overtime bargaining.
The Leafs are slightly over the cap and still have to settle with defenceman Travis Dermott, also a restricted free agent, but with no arbitration option. They can exceed the cap by 10% in the off-season.
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