Matvei Michkov ready to put lacrosse goals behind him

The NHL has become more creative in recent years as players aren't afraid to pull out fancy moves to try and score. One of the most popular moves has been the lacrosse-style goal. Only a few players have pulled it off, but many have tried to perfect it.

Matvei Michkov didn't shy away from trying the move on multiple occasions this past season. He was nearly able to stuff the puck in to complete the hat trick in a game against the Capitals in February. Not long after that, fellow Russian Alex Ovechkin dropped a little nugget about Michkov's flashiness in an interview with RG Media.

“Michkov is a great guy; he’s doing well. He played against us recently, so I got to see him. But I wish he would show off a little less. Otherwise, everything is great."

It's not much, but the Capitals did go on to tie the game a little over a minute later and would end up winning that game. It's not the first time Michkov has had some backlash for trying to pull off creative moves. John Tortorella fought a losing battle with the young forward when it came to the topic. Michkov even mentioned after Tortorella's firing that he wanted to score the lacrosse goal for him.

Trevor Zegras, now a member of the Flyers, is one of those players who has been able to score on a lacrosse goal. He used a similar move to help a teammate score before it. With the two likely to appear on the line together, it wasn't out of the question to believe we'd see even more of that creativity.

However, Michkov may not be as willing to attempt the move heading into next season. In another interview with RG Media, Michkov is ready to put the move to the side for now.

"One season was enough for me. I didn’t score once with it, so for now, I’ll leave it aside,” he said. "I wouldn’t say whether it’s welcome in the NHL or not—that’s not what matters to me. If you score, it’s welcome. If you don’t, it can be seen in different ways.”

There have been varying opinions on the play, though most enjoy seeing the players have fun on the ice. That doesn't mean we won't see Michkov not leaning into some of his skillful work with the puck. He can make plenty of other moves to set up chances or put the puck in the net himself. He's scored from angles that usually aren't possible.

For now, the lacrosse goal won't be one of the moves he will be trying.