After the Vancouver Canucks announced that Ilya Mikheyev would be out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury he suffered last season, the forward took to social media to clear the air. (Getty Images)
News of Ilya Mikheyev being shut down for the rest of the season to surgically repair a torn ACL is common, if unfortunate, even for a touch of the Vancouver Canucks franchise. But a key detail added to the sense of organizational disarray: Mikheyev had since played through injury Before The season has even started.
For what it’s worth Mikheyev took to Twitter on Saturday to defend the decision of the Canucks – and his – continues to hate for much of the campaign. Specifically, Mikheyev emphasized his decision to compete despite the injury[u–lijkomplijilg[abg[al[afnamill-kampanjaSpeċifikamentMikheyevenfasizzalikienetid-deċiżjonitiegħulijikkompetiminkejjal-injury
In the first tweet, Mikheyev claimed that he, along with the team’s medical staff, determined that playing on the torn cruciate ligament would not cause any additional damage.
“I understand that there is a lot of debate about my decision to play with an ACL injury. Here are the facts: When I was injured in the preseason, I went through several tests and found that I could play without further damage to do. That’s what I wanted to do,” he wrote.
Noting that his knee is tested twice a week, the 28-year-old striker crucially added that “I never felt any pressure (to keep playing), I never felt worse. It was my decision to continue playing.
Finally, Mikheyev noted that the decision was made to undergo surgery in order to be ready for the 2023-24 Canucks training camp and that he “has no complaints about the way it was handled.”
Considering the disastrous way the Canucks have made many decisions this season (and in recent years), people are already reluctant to extend the benefit of the doubt to management. But that situation has sparked further speculation after Quinn Hughes expressed serious disdain for the way Tanner Pearson’s wrist injury was handled earlier this season.
Orthopedist Dr. Bill Sterett lists some of the main reasons why it’s not a good idea to play here with a cruciate ligament tear. The bottom line: If you’re playing through a torn ACL, you risk injuring the MCL in your knee as well. From there, it increases the likelihood of arthritis problems in the knee.
The story continues
Note that the Canucks’ playoff chances dropped to about 20 percent in December, according to playoff predictions by Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic. Not only was biting the bullet in September already in doubt, but waiting until the end of January once again indicates poor vision from a regressing organization.
Mikheyev is 28 years old, and the Canucks have promised him $4.75 million in cap court over four seasons (the contract expires after 2025-26). Spinning a player’s health seems silly; it’s doubly worrying when it’s someone with a fairly long-term commitment.
Sure, it would be worse if the Canucks pressured Mikheyev to continue playing with a torn cruciate ligament, but letting him do that — especially after the point where this season was already lost — is just another alarming sign for a franchise to leave. in disorder.
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