Ilya Mikheyev might be asked to do a little bit of everything for the Tampa Bay Lightning next season.
He can score. He can kill penalties. He can play up and down the lineup. And he can skate stride for stride with the NHL’s fastest skaters.
That versatility stood out to the Lightning, who signed the 31-year-old forward to a four-year, $15.4 million contract when free agency opened on July 1.
“Excellent forechecker, brings a lot of speed to our group,” Lightning vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois said of Mikheyev. “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.”
Mikheyev spent the previous two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, setting career highs for points (36) and time on ice per game (17:26) last season. His 18 goals ranked third on the team.
The left-shooting forward spent the two seasons prior playing for the Vancouver Canucks after starting his career with three seasons as a Toronto Maple Leaf. He made the jump to the NHL at 25 years old in 2019 following four seasons of professional hockey in the KHL playing in his hometown of Omsk, Russia.
Mikheyev's next chapter brings him to Tampa.
“I liked Tampa when I played in Toronto, and it’s always hard to play against (them),” Mikheyev said of becoming a Bolt.“When we had this opportunity to sign with Tampa, we took it because we loved the hockey, everything with the city, and we’re excited to be and play in Tampa.”
The chance to play with fellow countryman Nikita Kucherov didn’t hurt, either.
“I'm pretty excited…Those types of players, you should just look and try your best because there’s not many players like Kuch in the NHL. When you have the opportunity to practice and play with him, you should learn. It doesn’t matter how old you are.”
Mikheyev’s versatility showed last season in Chicago—he led all Blackhawks forwards in shorthanded time on ice, playing 2:38 on the penalty kill per game. He averaged 14:45 in even-strength time on ice, third highest of the team’s forwards behind only Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi.
He scored 17 of his 18 goals at even strength and finished third on the team in both even strength goals and even strength scoring (33 points). He was one of only two Chicago players (min. 20 GP) to finish positive in plus-minus in 2025-26, tying Nick Foligno for the team lead at plus-two.
Killer attitude
His penalty kill numbers stand out, as his 2:38 in shorthanded ice time per game tied new Lightning teammate Anthony Cirelli for sixth among regular NHL forwards last season. He was one of only seven forwards to see at least 200 minutes of penalty kill work last season.
Chicago’s penalty kill was the NHL’s second-best last season at 83.6%, and Mikheyev now bolsters a Lightning unit that finished third at 82.6%. The teams' setup and systems are similar, so one of the NHL’s busiest penalty killers over the previous two seasons is confident he can repeat his performance in Tampa.
“My whole life, all my career, I’ve played on the PK, and I feel comfortable. It’s more the experience side and of course what kind of system we play,” he said.
“Because I played in Chicago the last two years…I think it's similar to the PK stuff, and I think it's no problem for me with the Lightning with this system…I feel pretty good on the PK, and I feel comfortable.”
One reason Mikheyev sees mass deployment on the penalty kill is his speed—he ranked in the 95th percentile among all NHL forwards for both max skating speed (23.54 mph) and bursts of at least 20 mph (182) last season. He surpassed a 22-mph skating speed 12 times.
BriseBois pointed to Mikheyev’s speed and forechecking ability earlier this month, and those are going to be welcomed traits in Tampa Bay’s lineup next season.
“I think it’s my speed,” he said of what makes him an effective forechecker. “I like this type of game because forechecking helps a lot for the team. It’s a huge part. I know it’s hard because sometimes you’re just chasing, chasing, but you need to be patient, and the result is coming.”
Mikheyev is two goals shy of 100 in the NHL and has scored 201 points across 427 career NHL games. Fresh off his career offensive year, he cand—and will—be deployed in several roles in Tampa.
Wherever the Lightning need him next season, Mikheyev’s ready and willing.
“I can play everywhere,” he said. “In any situation it feels good, and of course I feel good on the PK for sure. For me, I just help the team be better in all situations.”
