Off-Season Countdown: Mikheyev looking to top $4.75M AAV

Ahead of the opening round of the NHL Draft on Thursday and free agency on July 13, TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.

It appears pending unrestricted free agent Ilya Mikheyev won't come cheap to his next team on the free agent market.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs have informed teams they're open to trading the winger's rights, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports Mikheyev will be looking for a multi-year deal carrying an an average annual value of $4.75 million to $5.5 million on the open market.

On pending UFA winger Ilya Mikheyev, my understanding is that if he hits the open market, his agent Dan Milstein would be looking for a multi-year deal in the $4.75 M AAV to $5.5 M AAV range...

Mikheyev, 27, is coming off a career-best season, in which he recorded 21 goals and 32 points. He added two goals and four points in seven playoff games.

The cap-strapped Maple Leafs have a projected $6.4 million in cap space, per CapFriendly, with 18 players under contract for next season. 

Along with Mikheyev, goaltender Jack Campbell is also slated for unrestricted free agency. TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reported last month that the Maple Leafs had not made an offer to either player.

"What stands out to me is that the Leafs seemingly haven’t reached out to make an offer yet," Johnston said of talks with Campbell and Mikheyev. "There’s ongoing dialogue and they’ve had discussions with the camps of those guys but no numbers exchanged, no real negotiation and this starts to feel like some guys we’ve seen walk out the door in the past when you look at Zach Hyman and Frederik Andersen in recent years.

"Keep in mind Mikheyev is looking to get $4-to-5 million on the