Mikheyev, who set NHL career highs in goals (21) and points (32) in 53 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, brings plenty of the latter.
"I've liked him for a long time," Boudreau told Sportsnet650 radio this week. "He really adds some great speed to the team and I think he'll be an exciting player to watch."
In addition to the possibility of playing higher up the lineup than he did in Toronto after agreeing to a four-year contract with Vancouver on July 13, Mikheyev could also help the penalty kill after he scored four shorthanded goals last season, tied for seventh in the NHL. The same is true of Lazar, who agreed to a three-year contract the same day and projects to be the Canucks' only right-handed center, something lacking on a penalty kill that went from last in League (64.6 percent) under Green to 11th (80.5 percent) under Boudreau but still finished 30th at 74.9 percent.
"I think we were just starting to get really good at it, so we've got good penalty killers, but now we've got really good depth in the penalty killing department," Boudreau said. "It certainly gives you depth and it gives you, especially in Mikheyev's case, the fact that you can think a little bit of offense when you're supposed to be totally on defense because of his great speed."
For all the added depth, speed and experience over the summer, the Canucks will go as far as their returning young talent can carry them, especially 23-year-old center Elias Pettersson and 22-year-old defenseman Quinn Hughes. Each missed training camp last season before signing a contract on Oct. 3 and Pettersson struggled at the start of the season, with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in his first 22 games; he finished with 68 points (32 goals, 36 assists) in 80 games.
"We need those guys to get to the next level and they are capable of it," general manager Patrik Allvin said. "That's going to be key. With Quinn and [Pettersson], my understanding is missing training camp last year set them back, so I challenged them, and I hope they're going to come back ready and just take off."
That echoes the hopes for how the Canucks will play with Boudreau behind the bench from the start.
Vancouver improved in almost every measurable aspect after Boudreau became coach on Dec. 5, going from 22nd (17.4 percent) to second (26.7 percent) in the NHL on the power play, from 27th (2.36 goals per game) to 12th (3.28) in goals per game, and 23rd (3.16) to fifth (2.67) in goals against per game.
"Hopefully we go into the season with confidence," Boudreau said. "When I took over the team last year, when you lose it's difficult to have a lot of confidence, but I think at the end of the year these guys were thinking they're capable of doing much better and I think that's going to be a big difference going into camp."
