Ilya Mikheyev Quietly Made the Loudest Statement of Lightning Camp

A lot has been made of the offseason acquisition of veteran defenseman John Carlson by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and with good reason. The guy may very well end up in the Hall of Fame someday. However, there hasn’t been much talk about another free-agent signing by Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois: veteran forward Ilya Mikheyev.

“Excellent forechecker, brings a lot of speed to our group,” Lightning vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois told NHL.com about Mikheyev in July when he inked the former Chicago Blackhawk. “We’re trying to add speed to our group. He wins puck battles, so I think he’s going to fit really well on our team. He adds some speed, has size, wins puck battles, and tilts the ice in our favor.”

Though Tampa Bay fans have focused more on veterans like Carlson and Victor Hedman, or prospects such as Sam O’Reilly and Benjamin Rautiainen, during the few days of training camp, Mikheyev made the quickest splash in Sunday’s 2-1 preseason-opening win over visiting Nashville at Benchmark International Arena. 

Mikheyev redirected a shot from Carlson into the back of the net less than two minutes into the game to put the Lightning up 1-0.

He was paired on the top line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, perhaps a bit surprisingly to some fans. However, his play obviously wasn’t a surprise to Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper, who utilized Mikheyev on the penalty kill more minutes than any other player.

“I like playing on the (penalty kill),” Mikheyev said following the game. “I feel good playing the (penalty kill). For me, it’s part of the game. It feels good being in those situations.”

Mikheyev has totaled at least 28 points through each of the past five seasons, and played in at least 78 games in each of the last three. 

He signed a four-year, $15.4 million contract on July 1, so making the final Lightning roster has never been in question. However, where he was going to fit remained a mystery. Most people probably thought he was going to be a third- or fourth-line winger, but he appeared to handle himself well on Sunday with the top line.

“We’ve had just a few practices now,” Mikheyev said. “I saw how these guys feel each other, and I try playing my best.”

The native of Russia showed his versatility by scoring and then defending on the penalty kill, but his best trait just might be his speed, despite turning 32 years old next month.

Blackhawk star Connor Bedard spoke of Mikheyev last winter in an interview with NHL.com and praised his (then) teammate.

“His speed,” Bedard said. “His motor. The way he can get in the way of everything and just cause havoc.”

The Lightning defense corps is so deep that it would make sense for BriseBois and Cooper to carry eight defensemen into the Oct. 1 regular season opener against the New York Rangers. That makes the fight for one of 13 forward positions incredibly challenging for several Tampa Bay players. However, apparently Mikheyev won’t be in the (very talented) mix at the bottom of the depth chart, especially if he continues to play at this level over the next 10 days. 

“It’s just a progression of what guys have to do,” Cooper said following the win. “I thought everybody tried really hard. They tried to do what we asked of them. 

“We got to roll the lines, and then we got to play. And then, there were special teams involved. 

Mikheyev found himself immersed in all of it, and he did so with an ease that comes from being an experienced player. It’s important not to read too much into signs emanating from this condensed training camp, but Sunday’s outing made it clear that Mikheyev has the potential to be a very positive influence on this team.

Tampa Bay will visit Nashville tonight at 8 p.m.