Because if you don't worry about the future you end up like Jim Benning with Loui Eriksson and Tyler Myers being a hinderence to your roster for 6 years. Most people understand Petterson, Hughes, Hronek, Miller, Boeser and Demko all taking steps has caused us to be good this year.
Everything you described Mikheyev to be, other teams are getting the same value from players that cost 50% less.
This is just completely, objectively untrue. You're imagining a huge wealth of cheap depth players who are scoring at a Top-6 even strength rate for pennies, that doesn't really exist. While failing to acknowledge that Mikheyev has contributed at a Top-6 Level at even strength. Along with ignoring his strong defensive positional game and PK contributions.
This is the list of Non-ELC Forwards
IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE who have contributed as many or more Even Strength Points this season for equal to or less than Mikheyev's contract AAV. Not even talking about "half the price" which hacks the list down the barely anything:
-Brandon Hagel ($1.9M but has an extension kicking in next year @ $6.5M).
-Carter Verhaeghe ($4.2M one year remaining).
-Casey Mittelstadt ($2.5M expiring RFA and Top-10 pick of the team).
-Matt Duchene ($3M but collecting a boatload of buyout pay from Preds on top of that).
-Joe Pavelski ($3.5M expiring and a hundred and fifty-eight years old).
-Trevor Moore ($4.2M long term).
-Trent Frederic ($2.5M one year remaining).
-Alexis Lafreniere ($2.5M one year remaining and a 1st overall pick of the team).
-Matias Maccelli ($3.4M with a couple years remaining and one of the biggest steals in the league).
-Owen Tippett ($1.5M but has an extension kicking in next year @ $6.2M).
-Alex Tuch ($4.75M so exactly the same as Mikheyev and crazy outlier value).
-Tyler Toffoli ($4.25M expiring UFA).
-Eeli Tolvanen ($1.45M expiring Arb eligible RFA).
-Daniel Sprong ($2M expiring UFA).
-Warren Foegle ($2.75M expiring UFA and viewed as a cap dump pre-season).
-Jason Dickinson ($2.65M and with a $4.25M extension kicking in next year also lol).
-Gustav Nyquist ($3.2M with one year remaining).
-Dakota Joshua ($825k expiring UFA).
So...18 guys who even offer the same caliber even strength production as Mikheyev this year at the same or less AAV. In the league. Riddled with caveats. And not even starting to factor in overall defensive value and PK utility, nor size, speed, or anything else.
Mikheyev @ $4.75M isn't a "bargain" by any stretch. But it really is pretty close to the mark on general "UFA Market Value" for a player like him. All things considered. He's a good player, even if you don't like him.
If we move Mikheyev, I think it should be in the offseason.
I agree with
biturbo19 in many ways, but I still think Mik is overpaid relative to his contributions, and as such, he may be a cap casualty in the offseason. If we have any intention of re-signing Lindholm, I would say one of Garland or Mikheyev will have to be traded.
With that said, these are offseason problems. I don't think we need to think about this right now.
This is a conversation i'd be a lot more willing to have. If things shape up in the offseason, maybe that becomes a pressure point. One of Mikheyev or Garland becomes a "luxury" we can't afford, or takes a lower priority than an impact Forward like trying to re-sign Lindholm.
But it's asinine to me to even be looking at the idea of moving a player like Mikheyev right in the middle of loading up for a playoff run this year. When he's doing exactly what he's being paid to do, at a very respectably high level. He also, unlike Garland...actually
can play somewhat effectively with other skilled Top-6 Forwards.
We're just so far down the road from a point where we should be evaluating whether or not to keep Mikheyev though. It's goofy. Especially when the suggested replacements are guys who aren't as productive, and aren't as good at literally anything else either. You don't deliberately downgrade your team going into a playoff push.
