![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mikheyev-e1776656132509.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The Chicago Blackhawks might not be bringing back a veteran forward next season, with various rising stars competing for ice time.<\/p>\n
The Chicago<\/a> Blackhawks will be facing a summer of questions in 2026. The club got off to a strong start, but just couldn\u2019t sustain the strong momentum they had in the first two months of the year.<\/p>\n Considering the Blackhawks\u2019 commitment to their rebuild, they won\u2019t be cutting any corners. That situation means not trading any draft picks or prospects for high-priced veterans. The club has built a fantastic pipeline of rising stars. So, it seems it would just be a matter of time before the patience begins to pay dividends.<\/p>\n With that in mind, there\u2019s one veteran player who won\u2019t likely be back. That\u2019s Russian winger Ilya Mikheyev.<\/p>\n Mikheyev saw action in the final couple of games this season on the second line with Anton Frondell and Tyler Bertuzzi. But there will be other younger players pushing for playing time. For instance, Oliver Moore will need ice time next season.<\/p>\n Plus, the team also has Andrew Mangiapane on the books for one more season. As such, there won\u2019t be too many open spots for veteran forwards next season.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth pointing out that Mikeyev hasn\u2019t been bad for the Blackhawks. Since arriving in the 2024-25 season, the undrafted winger scored 20 goals in his first season, and then 18 this past season.<\/p>\n But would keeping Mikheyev be worth paying $4.75 million AAV<\/a>? Sure, the Blackhawks don\u2019t have cap issues at the moment. But there has to be a point where the club prioritizes smart cap allocation.<\/p>\n Bedard\u2019s Extension Will Determine What Blackhawks Do This Summer<\/p>\n The biggest question on the docket is Connor Bedard\u2019s extension. He\u2019s on track to become an RFA this summer. Since he\u2019s not going anywhere, the Blackhawks will need to figure out his next contract.<\/p>\n Now, the issue isn\u2019t if Bedard will sign. The question will be for how much and for how long. As a result, that decision will determine what the Blackhawks will do insofar as cap allocation and other free-agent contracts.<\/p>\n In short, Mihkeyev could be on his way out unless he\u2019s willing to take a bit of a pay cut. That will be the major sticking point. If Mikheyev is willing to sign a team-friendly deal, he could stay.<\/p>\n What to read next: Blackhawks Top 3 2026 Offseason Trade Candidates<\/a><\/p>\n Mikheyev May Bet on Himself with Show-Me Deal<\/p>\n Seeing as the Blackhawks won\u2019t have salary cap issues this season, Mikheyev and the club could figure out a short-term deal. Something like a one-year, show-me deal could allow Mikheyev to land one more multi-year deal. Likely, that deal won\u2019t be with the Blackhawks.<\/p>\n Otherwise, the Blackhawks would do well to part ways with Mikheyev. He\u2019ll be a UFA this summer. Even though he\u2019s been a good fit for the Blackhawks, the club has other, more significant priorities.<\/p>\n The Blackhawks could do a lot worse than bringing back Mikheyev. But the club has gotten to a point where it can\u2019t keep high-priced veterans around anymore. The organization will need to prioritize high-end prospects\u2019 playing. With more coming after the 2026 NHL Draft, some veterans will need to seek opportunities elsewhere.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tNestor Quixtan<\/a> Seasoned NHL analyst and baseball writer focused on covering clubs across each league with news, analysis, and insights. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Nestor’s singular experiences and background have enabled him to bring a different take on the sports world as a whole. Nestor’s fondness for baseball and hockey set the tone for his love and passion for writing about sports. More about Nestor Quixtan<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Blackhawks\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty The Chicago Blackhawks might not be bringing back a veteran forward next season, with various rising stars…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":556515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5115],"tags":[521,37,96,5263,5,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-556514","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-blackhawks","8":"tag-blackhawks","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","11":"tag-chicagoblackhawks","12":"tag-hockey","13":"tag-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116434977823975613","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=556514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/556515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=556514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=556514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=556514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}