Blackhawks hold on to Ilya Mikheyev past trade deadline

Ilya Mikheyev always seemed like one veteran whom the Blackhawks should try to keep around for a couple more years.

By holding on to Mikheyev through the NHL trade deadline Friday, that remains a possibility. The 31-year-old Russian will finish the season with the Hawks, and the organization will have several more months to try to work out a new contract with his camp.

Things could play out similarly to how they did last season with Ryan Donato, who was involved in trade rumors leading up to the deadline but ultimately not dealt. He ended up re-signing with the Hawks in June.

Initially acquired as a salary dump from the Canucks in June 2024, Mikheyev has turned out to be a savvy addition by Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson, not only because of his defensive acumen but also because of his decent secondary scoring.

He recorded a career-high 34 points (including 20 goals) last season, and he isn't far off that pace this season. His teammates have also taken to describing him as the best penalty-killer in the league, and that description might well be correct.

With Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson — two other important killers — shipped out, it could've been catastrophic to the Hawks' league-best unit to lose Mikheyev, too.

Minor deal

The Hawks finished up their deadline-week activity Friday afternoon by trading prospect forward Aidan Thompson to the Rangers for veteran AHL defenseman Derrick Pouliot.

It's a bit strange to see them dealing a 24-year-old player for a 32-year-old player, but they were set to have a surplus of forwards and a deficit of defensemen on Rockford's roster next season.

Thompson, a 2022 third-round pick who enjoyed a stellar college career at the University of Denver, had been somewhat disappointing in his first AHL season, tallying 15 points in 40 games while struggling with consistency issues.