Of all the offseason stories surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers, one of the biggest involves a player who isn’t even on the active roster. That is, of course, Matvei Michkov, the No. 7 pick in the 2023 Draft, a player who was initially not expected to arrive until 2026, when his current KHL contract will expire.
However, the Flyers are eager to bring Michkov to North America, and there have been enough rumors to suggest that there could be a chance for Michkov to arrive early and possibly be in the Flyers’ lineup for opening night this fall.
Obviously, that would be big for the Flyers. But how important is it? How has Michkov performed in the KHL? To go over the main points here, Flyers writer Kevin Kurz and The Athletic’s prospect expert Corey Pronman discuss Michkov’s recent past and his future.
What season did Michkov have in the KHL?
Pronman: He had a very good season. If you look at the historical context, it was one of the best seasons by a teenager in that league. He was a standout player for Sochi. The skill, hockey sense and actual ability to score definitely stood out at that level. A very impressive season overall.
The only real part of the year where you could say, “I wish this had gone better” was the beginning. He did not reach SKA Saint Petersburg and had to be loaned to a lower level team. I think he would look back on his preseason there and wonder if he could have made a better impression there so we wouldn’t wonder why he was in Sochi.
So why was he loaned to Sochi for the second consecutive season?
Pronman: Basically, SKA had two major preseason tournaments that they participated in. He played very well in the first, and in the second tournament, against more legitimate KHL competition, he was good: he got a couple of points, but he didn’t hold up. go out consistently. SKA is always a top team, they have a big budget and their goal every year is to win a championship. There were already limited places. They had signed important players like Arseni Gritsyuk and Sergei Tolchinsky in the offseason. After Alex Galchenyuk got into trouble in North America, he was added. Suddenly you look at their roster and there were no real forward spots in the top nine anymore. It seemed like he and 2024 draft prospect Ivan Demidov were competing for a spot, and Demidov ended up earning the spot out of camp, but even he didn’t stick around: He was sent down to junior for the rest of the season.
I never really felt like they were giving any of those kids a legitimate opportunity to help their team. If they really felt like they were going to help their team win, they would have had them there. But they are two teenagers. It was precisely the circumstances that led to his loan to Sochi.
Still, overall, it was a very productive year for Michkov. When he was a teenager he was among the top 30 scorers in the KHL. He had the year of a legitimate top prospect.
What have the Flyers said about Michkov and what is their current relationship?
Kurz: General manager Daniel Briere was asked about Michkov at his end-of-season media availability on April 19, and whether the timeline to bring him to the Flyers likely in 2026 remained the same.
There was, at least then, no reason to believe Michkov would arrive sooner than they originally expected when they drafted him.
“If there’s an opportunity, we’ll take advantage of it to get him here faster, but as far as I know right now, it’s still the same timeline,” Briere said. “He has two years left on his contract. For her part, she would have to find a way out of her deal before we can do anything. So that’s out of our control. As far as I know, we will have to wait two more years.
Briere added: “I don’t have much hope that we can get it out any sooner.”
At least there has been some contact between both parties during the season. Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong told a humorous anecdote in November about using Google Translate to text with Michkov.
“It’s actually quite funny, because I know that my English, when I change it to Russian, is not what I’m saying,” Armstrong told The Athletic. “You’re probably thinking, ‘What is this guy saying?’ Then, on the other hand, (his text) comes to me and it’s also like broken English. So you’re trying to piece that together. I always laugh a lot at that. “I think it’s really great to stay in touch with him and make sure he’s okay.”
Armstrong was already thinking about how Michkov could adapt to the NHL.
“In the KHL, if you look at it, there is a lot of looping, swinging and speed. So it’s like, well, knowing that, I already know a couple of things that we’re going to have to work on with Michkov to prepare him to play the North American style of game,” he said.
As for facilitating Michkov’s move to the NHL, the only thing the Flyers can do is offer Michkov a standard entry-level NHL contract if that opportunity arises.
Would Michkov be NHL-ready if he came to the Flyers next season?
Pronman: He was ready two years ago to play on an NHL power play. He has elite skills and elite intelligence. He excels with the puck on his stick inside the offensive zone. He operates on a different level than everyone else. That’s why there were some NHL teams that, even up until the end of last year’s draft, thought there was at least a conversation about him and Connor Bedard for the No. 1 overall spot, because this guy has incredible offensive traits.
I’m a little worried that it’s even in the NHL. That’s why I would have liked to see him join SKA, to see if he can help a team win games at a professional level and make a difference. He’s not the biggest guy, he’s not as physical. The skating is okay, but it’s not a very positive trait for him, especially at that size; He’s 5-foot-10, maybe. Whether that body will hold up in the NHL when he’s 20, I think is a question (Michkov will turn 20 on December 9).
Long term, I see an impactful NHL winger, but at this current point in development, I’d say it’s 50-50 if he’s ready to be a legitimate full-time NHL scoring winger at this point.
I love the player. I think he’s going to score a ton in the NHL. But I wonder, just looking at the athlete, if he’s definitely 100 percent ready to be a full-time NHL player. He’s so talented that I could definitely see him coming here and having an incredible preseason and surprising people. But then when the season starts… we’ll really see what happens.
Do the Flyers think he’s ready for the NHL?
Kurz: It sure seems like it. Briere indicated that if Michkov had been eligible to play in the NHL in the 2023-24 season, he would have had a good chance to make the Flyers’ roster. If not for Michkov’s KHL contract, he “probably would have gone second or third in the draft and would probably be ready to play professionally right away,” Briere said last month.
The top three picks in the 2023 draft, all forwards, spent the entire season with their NHL clubs, although they all missed periods of time due to injuries.
Bedard, the Calder Trophy favorite, recorded 61 points in 68 games with the Blackhawks, No. 2 pick Leo Carlsson scored 29 points in 55 games with the Ducks (including a hat trick against the Flyers on Nov. 10), and No. 3 pick Adam Fantilli had 27 points in 49 games for Columbus. (Buffalo’s Zach Benson, a left wing selected 13th overall, scored 30 points in 71 games.)
It stands to reason that if Briere believes Michkov is at or near the same level as those three, the winger would have spent all of last season on the NHL roster as well.
Where would it fit?
Kurz: Looking at the Flyers’ depth chart, they could certainly use a scoring right wing, as Travis Konecny is the only true, high-end offensive threat on that side of the ice. And, as Corey mentioned, Michkov could give a boost to his terrible power play, which has finished last in the NHL in each of the last two seasons. Had the Flyers’ power play been even remotely competent this season, they almost certainly would have qualified for the playoffs.
If Michkov were to come in next season and prove to be a top-six forward right away, the Flyers’ lines on opening night could look like this:
Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Matvei Michkov
Tyson Foerster – Sean Couturier – Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee – Scott Laughton – Bobby Brink
Noah Cates – Ryan Poehling – Garnet Hathaway
Of course, those combinations don’t take into account any potential off-season moves. If Michkov arrives sooner rather than later, he could change the Flyers’ internal schedule to compete, particularly if they believe he can be a difference-maker early on.
(Photo of Matvei Michkov and Gary Bettman in the 2023 draft: Bruce Bennett//Keynote USA/Getty Images)
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