Blackhawks Daily: Buyouts Begin; Ilya Mikheyev Coming to Chicago

The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup on Monday night and teams took no time to get their off-seasons going. The Blackhawks didn’t waste any time, either.

The Chicago Blackhawks got in on the chaos on Wednesday night when they made a move with the Vancouver Canucks. Chicago sent a 2027 fourth-round pick to Vancouver in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick, Ilya Mikheyev, and rights to pending UFA Sam Lafferty. 

Nobody comes to Chicago to get a tan. Ilya Mikheyev is #Blackhawks bound. #WeAreGoldStar!

— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) June 27, 2024

Swapping a fourth for a second in 2027 is nice. The Hawks will see that pay off in three years. They have until July 1 to extend Sam Lafferty, who returns to the team that traded him back in 2023.

Landing Mikheyev is a prudent move for the Hawks. In 2023-24, he had 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 78 games. It’s good production for a fourth-line guy who can play on a third-line if needed. 

Meanwhile, buyouts begin as Ryan Suter of the Dallas Stars and Jeff Skinner of the Buffalo Sabres were two early names being taken off the books. Name recognition may excite some fans for a moment, but the sobering reminder is that Suter’s not near the defenseman he once was. Skinner buried 24 goals last season, but saw a  decline from a season prior.

Skinner can still score goals and is going to want to chase a Cup so again, doesn’t seem like a Hawks like move unless they sign him to flip him to a contender later on.

Chicago Blackhawks

Kyle Davidson and the Chicago Blackhawks must optimize their build around Connor Bedard.

Jeremy Roenick finally made it to the Hall of Fame. However, it is ridiculous that Steve Larmer is still not in. 

The Chicago Blackhawks already made one big trade. There is chatter that even bigger ones could be made in the coming days. 

National Hockey Now

Florida Hockey Now: Sergei Bobrovsky has already punched his ticket to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Boston Hockey Now: The Boston Bruins could be chasing Martin Necas following the trade of Linus Ullmark.

Detroit Hockey Now: Pavel Datsyuk is finally going to the Hall of Fame after years of excellence in the NHL.