There is no player under more scrutiny to perform than Matvei Michkov. It was a tale of two different seasons. His first half to two-thirds was a struggle for a variety of reasons. Things picked up after the Olympic break but dropped once more during the Flyers' playoff run. Michkov was only a healthy scratch for one regular-season game and two post-season games, but his average ice time dropped by nearly two minutes from his rookie season.
So this summer was going to be important for Michkov to prove that he was willing to put in the work and put last season behind him.
"There was no vacation at all, because an important season is ahead," Michkov said in an exclusive interview with RG. "I need to play well, I want that myself. So I need to keep my body in shape at all times."
And Michkov has more than proven that he's doing so. He was seen working out at Artemi Panarin's private camp back home in Russia. He took part in the “Match of the Year”, an annual charity game at SKA Arena in Saint Petersburg, where he scored a hat trick.
Matvei Michkov is making the most of his summer. The @NHLFlyers Flyers forward already recorded a hat trick at the annual charity “Match of the Year” game organized by Alex Ovechkin, Artemi Panarin, and Mikhail Sergachev. And yes — he also pulled off this gorgeous lacrosse-style… pic.twitter.com/EjmHvbaWqO
— Daria Tuboltseva (@DariaTuboltseva) July 25, 2026
And his sheer volume of training sessions has been impressive. The Flyers have had a much closer eye on Michkov this offseason, sending one of their coaches to oversee things. He has been seen working out with Slava Kuznetsov, who was Michkov's translator throughout the season and is an experienced skating instructor. But there's no confirmation that he is the coach in question.
"Philadelphia sent a coach to oversee my preparation for the start of next season. We worked for two weeks, doing three practices a day. In the morning, there was the gym, a strength workout, then we'd go to the ice, and in the evening there was another session — for physical conditioning. Unfortunately, the coach didn't have that much time, so he wanted to fit everything into two weeks."
The real test for Matvei Michkov begins with training camp
Heading into a contract year, it's vitally important that Michkov starts the season on a good note. He won't sign an extension before the season begins, unlike what we saw with Tyson Foerster. It's hard to believe that Michkov won't be a big piece of the Flyers' future. On the other hand, the organization needs to see more from him to commit long-term.
If Michkov comes into camp and is miles ahead of where he was last season, that will go a long way. It will help erase the fitness concerns that lingered through most of the season. And it will only make the Flyers better if they have a Michkov who is ready to go from the jump and not trying to play catch-up during the year.
Things picked up for Michkov after the Olympic break, with 22 of his 51 points coming after play resumed. The two-week break almost certainly allowed him to recover and get his game where it needed to be. There won't be the same kind of break this time around, though, so this cannot happen.
His contribution at the start of the season will help tell the story. Michkov had one goal and six points through the first 13 games last year. He also had multiple scoring droughts of at least nine games during the rest of the season. As one of the players the Flyers count on to provide offense, that's not good enough.
Michkov has already proven that he's taken important lessons from last season and applied them to his offseason training. The next part of that will be bringing that preparation and work ethic once he returns within the next few weeks. If he can do that, all those concerns from last season will disappear, and Michkov and the Flyers will be better because of it.
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