Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced on Thursday that forward Ilya Mikheyev has left training camp due to personal reasons. The news comes a day after Allvin stated that Mikheyev would be joining the team at training camp, skating with the third group in a no-contact capacity.
The 28-year-old Mikheyev signed a four year contract with the Canucks in July of 2022 and appeared in 46 games with Vancouver until undergoing season-ending ACL surgery in February. The original damage to Mikheyev’s knee came during the Canucks’ preseason, however, the forward consulted with team doctors and was cleared to play until the team shut him down for the season.
The timeline of his recovery and the start of training camp meant a tight margin between a full recovery and a return to the line-up full-time, leaving many to wonder if Mikheyev would be ready to go by the start of the season. Consequently, his early departure from the team at the start of training camp led to speculation on whether or not the forward was ready to return.
Reports from those around the team tell a different story, though, with Mikheyev’s agent stating his exit from training camp was “nothing serious” and that he expects him to return to camp in “a few days.” Additionally, CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that Mikheyev’s departure is family-related.
Mikheyev registered 13 goals and 15 assists before being shut down last season, stacking up 28 points through the 46 games he played. The Canucks could certainly use Mikheyev’s penalty-killing abilities and aggressive speed on the forecheck. Hopefully, the Canucks forward can return to camp and finish out the rehab process to join the team at the start of the season.
