Flyers fans are overreacting to Sean Couturier’s comments about Matvei Michkov

It's not unfair to say the sophomore slump has hit Matvei Michkov to start his second season in the NHL.

After a rookie season where he posted 26 goals and 63 points in 80 games, Michkov has just three goals and eight points in 15 games. That doesn't look too bad until you dive deeper. After scoring his first goal of the season in his fourth game, he went the next nine without one, only adding five assists during that time.

Michkov has goals in back-to-back games, a sign that he is turning an offensive corner. Much has been made about his slow start. Rick Tocchet revealed that Michkov suffered an ankle injury during the offseason, affecting his training. That came out after speculation arose that he came into camp out of shape.

While Tocchet didn't necessarily deny that, the injury news gave the slow start an explanation. Michkov confirmed he suffered the injury, but didn't want to blame that for his lack of offense. He also added an interesting note recently, claiming he was off the ice for about four months this offseason.

“Truly, I was rested for four months, no hockey. Training was not the same. In the beginning of the season, I lost concentration, but with every game, I’m feeling better and better.” Michkov said after the Flyers' overtime loss to the Senators.

At face value, that doesn't sound great. But, because of the language barrier, he may not have been able to explain himself, so it's possible he meant he trained in a different way rather than on the ice. Even with that, it's certainly been a bigger struggle for Michkov this season.

Reactions to Couturier's comments on Michkov are missing vital context

It's been a large topic of conversation since the season began, and it has blown up even further after comments from Sean Couturier after the loss to Ottawa. Before getting into that, it was this sequence in overtime that first generated attention.

Michkov loads up back in his own zone and comes up the ice with speed. Couturier, crossing in front of him, ends up skating ahead of the play, putting them offside. At first glance, it looks like Couturier jumped the gun and thought Michkov was already going to be in the zone. Or maybe Couturier skating in front of him through off Michkov's timing. It happens all the time where two players may not be on the same page.

What people looked at was Couturier seemingly shaking his head and looking over toward Michkov multiple times. No one can definitively say that's what was going on. If anything, it's more likely that Couturier was frustrated with himself for what happened. Considering the Flyers had fought back to send the game to overtime in the first place, losing that scoring chance is tough.

What really set most people off were comments Couturier made after the game.

The problem here is that the question Couturier was asked was conveniently left out of the video. It adds much-needed context to what was said. Though even without the question, it's not like Couturier is throwing Michkov under the bus to the media. Much has been made about his struggles, and as the captain, it's his job to hold his teammates accountable.

But when you realize he was being asked about what the team is doing to help, it shines a much brighter light on Couturier's answer.

"Matvei was just saying that he was maybe feeling some pressure to score a goal and that the goal in Nashville was a little bit of a weight off of him," The Athletic's Kevin Kurz said. "What have you guys done to try to keep him, sort of, on the level, and keep his frustration levels low and his confidence high as he's kind of worked his way through this?"

It isn't a captain picking on a teammate. He is simply sharing what the team has been working on with him. Maybe a different phrasing could have helped, but there isn't a malicious attempt behind what Couturier responded with.

"Yeah, he's a great goal scorer and has a lot of skill. I think you just got to find a way to contribute to helping the team win in other ways when you're struggling," Couturier said. "You're not always going to be scoring goals every game. I've seen improvement in the way he's not cheating as much and being on the right side of pucks. I'm sure it's a little different for him, but if he sticks to playing the right way, I think it's going to be better for the team overall."

Essentially, Couturier is saying that there are other ways for Michkov to help the team. It doesn't have to come via goals because no one is going to score all the time. If he can affect the game in other areas of the ice, that can help just as much. And there has been an improvement in what he is doing. Couturier is saying what most people have already been saying about Michkov.

It's a response to a question, not an attempt to blast his teammate to the media.

If anything was going on, it appeared to be quickly squashed during Sunday's practice. As Rick Tocchet and Michkov were going over the an earlier play from the game, Couturier was quick to come over and help. It's where Tocchet can see how much Michkov looks to Couturier for help.

"Right away, Mich was looking at Coots. I can tell that Mich really respects Coots, there's something there," Tocchet said. "So I think that's valuable. Coots has got a good way of delivering a message."

These things may continue to happen until Michkov gets a better grasp of the English language. Right now, the Flyers are continuing to work with him and helping him understand what they're looking for. It's not going to be easy. But once he gets it, the team will benefit.

And so will Michkov.