Blackhawks land Ian Cole, lose Ilya Mikheyev to Lightning

Ian Cole is heading to the Chicago Blackhawks on a one-year deal that can pay him up to $4.75 million.

Frank Seravalli broke the news Wednesday afternoon, with the contract carrying a $4 million base plus performance bonuses on top.

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Cole is 37 years old and coming off a season with 23 points in 82 games, adding two points across six playoff games elsewhere.

Chicago finished 29-39-14 this past season, good for just 72 points and dead last in the league at 31st overall.

Jeff Blashill's group leaked goals all year, giving up 275 while scoring only 213. Bringing in a steady veteran like Cole is like patching a leaky roof while the foundation still needs work.

But the same Wednesday afternoon brought tougher news for Chicago fans. Ilya Mikheyev is leaving, signing a four-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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Mikheyev put up 36 points in 77 games with the Blackhawks this season, chipping in on the penalty kill with a shorthanded goal and two shorthanded assists.

Why Tampa Bay wanted Mikheyev's speed on the wing

The Lightning are loaded up front, with Nikita Kucherov's 130 points leading a group that includes Jake Guentzel's 88 and Brandon Hagel's 74.

Mikheyev slots in as depth and penalty-kill insurance behind that trio, the kind of role Jon Cooper leans on all season long in Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay finished 50-26-6 for 106 points, ranked fifth overall. This is a franchise built to win now, not develop.

That is the swap Chicago just made. Trading a 36-point winger's speed for a 37-year-old defenseman on the back end feels light for a team trying to climb out of last place.

Does adding a stay-at-home blueliner move the needle for a team that finished 31st overall? Not on its own, no.

Kyle Davidson's front office now has to find scoring elsewhere after letting an 18-goal winger walk in free agency without bringing anything back.

The blue line got a little older and steadier. The middle six just got thinner. Whether that trade-off pays off starts showing up once training camp opens.