![NHL – No Matvei Michkov news from Flyers, whose expectations remain the same – NBC Sports Philadelphia NHL – No Matvei Michkov news from Flyers, whose expectations remain the same – NBC Sports Philadelphia](https://i1.wp.com/media.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/2023/09/USA-Matvei-Michkov-Flyers-NHL-draft.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=1200%2C675&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
Dan Hilferty will often remind you that he’s not just the Flyers’ chief property officer.
He’s also a fan.
He was a fan before becoming governor of the Flyers, president and CEO of Comcast Spectacor. And he won’t lose the fan inside him because that’s what drives his passion for the role, it’s how he connects with the fan base.
Since late April, Flyers fans have been excited about top prospect Matvei Michkov and the possibility of his early arrival.
As a fan, does Hilferty ever bother his president of hockey operations for an update on Michkov?
“Three times a day,” he said with a laugh Wednesday, looking at Keith Jones sitting to his left. “No, I’m joking.”
“I don’t answer his calls,” Jones joked.
Hilferty wouldn’t be the only one waiting for an answer about Michkov’s status. The Flyers probably have at least a little more clarity than the public about the outlook between Michkov and his KHL club SKA St. Petersburg in Russia. But the Flyers have to operate in a wait-and-see mode, and so do their fans.
Jones admitted that the external rumors surrounding Michkov do not alter the Flyers’ internal plan.
“It doesn’t really affect because when we drafted him, the expectation was that he would finish his contract with SKA,” he said at an offseason news conference alongside Hilferty. “So we’re listening, we’re reading a lot of his articles and we’re following them. But we don’t have any updates on that.”
Michkov, a talented forward the Flyers selected seventh overall last summer, has two more years left on his three-year KHL contract. If that deal goes through, Michkov won’t be a Flyer until 2026-27.
Last month, Russian outlet Sport-Express reported that Michkov’s contract with SKA St. Petersburg would be terminated so the 19-year-old could “continue his career in Philadelphia.” This came about three weeks after club president Alexander Medvedev told Russian outlet Match TV that he would “talk about all options” with Michkov.
The Flyers, however, must be careful not to overstep any boundaries in their comments or interfere with Michkov’s camp and his KHL club.
“Look, I’m a fan, the way I look at it, he’s still a young individual,” Hilferty said. “As much fun as it would be, as good as it would be to create that atmosphere and get the fans excited, yeah, I hope it happens.
“But we knew he has a three-year contract. I can’t just be a fan of this. I totally understand that it’s a situation where we have no control over it and we will continue to watch him no matter where he plays.” . “At some point, at some point, it’s going to be a great thing for the Philadelphia Flyers.”
In the Flyers’ eyes, if Michkov arrives next season, great. If he arrives in 2026-27, that was the plan all along.
“We would welcome him with open arms, we love what he will bring to the Flyers,” Jones said. “If that timeline speeds up, it would be wonderful. But we don’t know. We will follow it closely as you do too. When it arrives, our fan base will be very excited to get a very talented player who is different from the one we we have now. “I think our fans are looking forward to that, for sure.”
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