The Philadelphia Flyers beat almost everyone’s expectations last season. Most thought they were going through a rebuilding year in 2025-26. Instead, they easily made the playoffs and even beat their rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the first round. New head coach Rick Tocchet pulled out all the stops, and the Flyers even pushed themselves and their young players to new heights.
If we told Flyers fans before last season that they were going to make the playoffs, most would say the immense growth was built on the growth of Matvei Michkov. The former top-10 pick was expected to be even better than his draft slot. Some even thought he’d be the second-best player in his class.
When Michkov surprisingly left the KHL to sign with the Flyers, it was the expected first step of a superstar career. Instead, Michkov has slightly struggled to start his career.
Don’t get us wrong; his numbers weren’t terrible. He finished the season with 51 points. However, most expected him to actually step up. He broke 60 points in his rookie season, so going in the wrong direction is definitely a disappointment.
And with how he was handled throughout the season and in the playoffs, nobody could say it was a positive outcome. He was a healthy scratch in the playoffs, which took over the headlines while the Flyers were trying to beat a top-tier Carolina Hurricanes team that would eventually win the Stanley Cup.
Matvei Michkov's rough season didn't hurt his chase for one special record
While his numbers have dropped, he is still on pace to show his greatness in one aspect of his game: 3v3 overtime. Things didn’t exactly work out for him last season. Tocchet put Michkov on the third overtime line, meaning he didn’t get much opportunity. He was on the ice for 18 minutes of 3v3 time total, leading to zero goals.
Travis Sanheim and Trevor Zegras had about twice as much ice time as Michkov. Travis Konecny and even Christian Dvorak had more ice time than Michkov. Still, he needed to do more with the ice time he had.
Michkov still has four overtime goals in his career, and that’s just the start. If he scores two overtime goals this season, he’ll be more than halfway to the Flyers record.
Currently, Claude Giroux holds the record for most overtime goals in Flyers history. He scored 11 in his career. While many expected him to return to the franchise where he became a star this offseason, he chose to re-sign with the Ottawa Senators instead.
Michkov is easily on pace to break Giroux's overtime record
Michkov hasn’t been what the Flyers thought they were getting, especially under Rick Tocchet, but there’s clearly a desire to make the most of their young forward. Michkov wasn’t traded despite rumors that he might become available. There were no true rumors of his availability, just a lot of speculation due to his playoff benching. The Flyers seem primed to make the most of Michkov’s growth.
All they have to do is put Michkov out there with a top line in overtime, and he could break the record in the next two years. Either way, if Michkov remains with the Flyers, Giroux’s record will go down in due time.
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