Kyle Dubas believes in this group, even the players that don’t have any interest in being part of the group anymore.
Earlier this evening Elliotte Friedman came out of hibernation and gave us a few insider tidbits, including this nugget about Ilya Mikheyev:
According to several sources, Toronto winger Ilya Mikheyev asked for a trade following the 2020-21 season. But, what is important to the story is that the Maple Leafs made it clear they do not want to accommodate this request. With Zach Hyman and Joe Thornton gone from the left wing, the organization told Mikheyev it considers him a key part of their team and are counting on him to have a big year.
This issue from Mikheyev’s point of view is ice time, and that’s kind of a bizarre stance to take when he struggled to produce offensively last season. His opportunities to produce were somewhat limited as he was tethered players like Alexander Kerfoot and Pierre Engvall, who like himself aren’t likely to generate offence without a proper catalyst. And while Friedman cites Hyman (who should have always been ahead of Mikheyev in the lineup), and Thornton (who Mikheyev should rightly be …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation