Vancouver Canucks forward Ilya Mikheyev has no issues with the way the team handled the injury to his ACL and was comfortable to play through it.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced Friday night that the team is shutting down the Russian forward so he can undergo ACL surgery.
In the aftermath, there was a lot of debate about whether the team should have handled the injury during pre-season when it was first diagnosed. Mikheyev went on Twitter to clarify that doctors confirmed that he could play through the injury without further injury.
The medical staff, team, and Mikheyev eventually came to the decision to do the surgery when it became apparent that delaying it would jeopardize the chance of the winger from missing the start of training camp.
According to Allvin, the exact recovery timeline for the 28-year-old would be known post-surgery, but he is expected to be ready to return by the start of next season's training camp.
Mikheyev's injury was sustained during the pre-season and the GM revealed he'd been playing through it to this point. He skated on Friday night in the Canucks' 5-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, netting a goal in the final seconds of the first period.
In 45 games played this season, he collected 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points. The Canucks signed the former Toronto Maple Leaf to a four-year, $19-million deal last summer.
Allvin also provided an update on Canuck goaltender Thatcher Demko, saying while it's hard to give an exact timeline, he's expected to be out for at least another three weeks.
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