Mikheyev wanted to play through ACL injury, felt no pressure from Canucks

Vancouver Canucks forward Ilya Mikheyev said in a series of tweets posted Saturday that he wanted to continue to play after discovering his ACL injury in pre-season and has no complaints with the way his injury was handled.

Mikheyev was ruled out for the season Friday night and is scheduled to have surgery after originally suffering the injury on Sept. 25.

“I understand 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 realized I could play without causing any more damage. That’s what I wanted to do,” Mikheyev tweeted.

"Twice per week, we consulted with team doctors about how things were progressing. Never did I feel pressure, never did I feel worse. It was my decision. Finally it reached a point where I wanted to be ready on time for next year. If I continued to play, I wouldn’t be ready for training camp. I appreciate everyone’s concern, but I have no complaints with the way this was handled.”

The tweets were also retweeted by Mikheyev’s agent, Dan Milstein.

The 28-year-old will have surgery next week and is expected to be ready for training camp in the fall.

Signed to a four-year, $19 million deal in the off-season, Mikheyev posted 13 goals and 15 assists in 46 games, including scoring a goal in his final appearance of the 2022-23 season Friday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 5-2 victory.

It was his first season in Vancouver after spending the first three years of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.