The Leo Carlsson saga is pretty much occupying the Philadelphia Flyers right now. If the deal falls through, the team will have to go searching elsewhere for their "center of the future". If Carlsson becomes a Flyer, then they can proceed with re-signing and extending Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras. If they need to clean up any more space, they may have to trade away someone before training camp begins. So, until this is all figured out, the Flyers really can't proceed too much.
Some believe that other NHL executives may come after Daniel Briere and the Flyers for trying to pounce on Carlsson. Too bad! These are the rules, and the Flyers are playing by them. It's not our fault that Pat Verbeek waited too long to sign his players, and he still has others to sign.
However, if other GMs target the Flyers and their young players, they will have to wait a while. Many of their young players are signed on for a while OR will be eligible for extensions in a few years. There is, however, one glaring omission: Matvei Michkov.
A midseason extension for Michkov could make sense for the Flyers
Michkov is in an interesting place right now. He had a great rookie season and a "meh" sophomore campaign. It wasn't that he was bad, as much as it was not as productive. Perhaps we put too high an expectation on him. Perhaps it was that he was lined up with different guys all season on different lines. Perhaps it took him a long time to figure out how to manage Rick Tocchet's system. Perhaps nagging injuries took their toll on the youngster. Maybe it is a combination of all of the above. Whatever it was, Michkov was absent during the playoffs, watching from above at one point.
Following the playoff run, Michkov became a topic of conversation. Should he be traded while he is worth something? Should he be given more time to figure it out? One of the things that really helped his case was his workout routine. He began to work out a lot during the offseason, focusing on his skating and his defensive skills. Briere and Tocchet both spoke highly of his attitude in trying to improve and work on getting better for next season.
Next year, he is the only major RFA. If you are worried about another team offering him a contract that has everything and the moon in it, Briere could extend him mid-season when it won't be an issue.
The benefit of doing it that way is to see how far his new routine has helped him improve his game. If he is back on track to where everyone (Michkov, Briere, and Tocchet included) feels happy with his performance, you can reach an agreement on a nice, acceptable bridge deal before he reaches his first major contract. If he isn't on track, you can offer him something smaller in a "prove it" contract before he can be offered something higher.
The beauty with both of these deals is that you would retain his services. Plus, as the salary cap continues to rise, you can judge how much money you need to dole out to keep the other young talent on the roster. After all, Alex Bump, Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, Denver Barkey, David Jiricek, Cole Knuble, Oliver Bonk, and Carson Bajnarsson would all be in the 2028 RFA class.
And if it appears that Michkov won't improve or isn't coachable, then trade him at the deadline. Flip him for first-round picks (especially if we lose them to Anaheim) and restock. We can move forward with what we have, and it would be better to move him instead of dragging this out and making a potentially unpleasant situation a lot worse. If a team were to offer a huge deal for Michkov and we match it, does that mean we have to lose Martone, Bonk, or Barkey?
Either way, it is best that the Flyers try to protect themselves now in case any jealous GM casts their lustful eyes towards Broad Street.
Add us as a preferred source on Google