Getting Ilya Mikheyev extended this summer has to be a priority for Kyle Davidson

Ilya Mikheyev has been one of the bright spots all season for this Chicago Blackhawks team. In fact, he has been consistently productive for this squad throughout his two-year tenure with the club.

The 31-year-old Russian forward's contract will expire at the end of this campaign. It is imperative that GM Kyle Davidson comes to terms with an extension with Mikheyev, as he has proven to be an important piece for the future.

Mikheyev is the driving force behind the Blackhawks penalty kill

Despite the Blackhawks being a bottom-five team in the NHL standings, they shockingly have the best penalty kill in the league, clipping at an 84.7% success rate. With just 14 games left in the season, there is a real chance they could remain at the top, which would be quite an achievement for this rebuilding group.

The main reason Chicago has found success on the penalty kill is largely due to Mikheyev's play. He has been the effective leader of the PK with his strong defensive ability with the man down.

Mikheyev's speed has been a driving factor behind this form as he is able to use the extra open ice to his advantage shorthanded. He is one of five Blackhawks to record a shorthanded goal this year. Ilya also knows how to position himself to be a liability to the opposing power-play unit through his relentless coverage and stick placement in the defensive zone.

In addition to his defensive prowess, Mikheyev has been able to contribute well when it comes to secondary offensive scoring support with 13 goals and 14 assists in 63 games on the year. That ranks tied for sixth on the team with Ryan Donato. This comes after a 24-25 season that quietly saw him reach the 20-goal mark.

With what Mikheyev has provided on special teams and his consistent play on both ends of the ice, he has shown he can be a veteran piece worth keeping around. Davidson appears to agree with this assessment as he decided not to deal the vet at this year's trade deadline, despite the potentially high-value package they could have received in exchange for his services.

Davidson has spoken highly of Mikheyev and has expressed his wish to extend him this summer. Hopefully, he can agree to a deal with the forward, as it would be a shame to lose such a high-caliber player for nothing.

The Blackhawks will have more than enough cap space to make this work, as they are estimated to have over $40 million to spend this offseason, according to Puck Pedia. Obviously, a substantial chunk of this will go towards the impending Connor Bedard extension. But Chicago will still have plenty of room to utilize towards Mikheyev and the rest of their players on expiring deals, not to mention anyone else they may want to go after in free agency or via trades.

Regarding what the Mikheyev deal could look like, last year's Donato extension could be used as a potential template. Donato inked a four-year, $4 million deal after he enjoyed a career-best 24-25 season. With a rising cap and considering Mikheyev has produced at the same rate as Donato this year and for how crucial he is to the Chicago PK, it is reasonable to project Mikheyev's contract to come in higher than that. Perhaps around $5 million a year is an estimate; the term is another question. Davidson may want a shorter length on this deal with all the young pieces soon on the way and the fact that Mikheyev will be 32 at the start of the 26-27 season.

We'll see what happens with Mikheyev over the offseason. For now, he looks to continue his run as Chicago's PK specialist and end the year strong as he aims to make bank this summer.