The Philadelphia Flyers are back in the playoffs for the first time in six years, and are set to take on their rivals in the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team pushed all of the right buttons, whether it was last offseason or in their final stretch after the Winter Olympic break. One player who did step up when it mattered most to ensure they made it back to the postseason was Matvei Michkov.
As Flyers fans all knew, Michkov had a first half to forget, with rumors about him showing up to training camp out of shape. But since the Olympic break, Michkov scored seven goals and recorded 15 assists in 26 games played. That was opposed to the 29 points he recorded in the first 55 games before the Olympic break. So what changed?
Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said he feels that Michkov became more comfortable on the team after the team called up some of their younger players.
Matvei Michkov more comfortable with Flyers after prospect call-ups
"Earlier this season, he's not a loner, but he was alone a lot. Now he's around the young guys. I think it's huge development for 'Mich,' even with the language barrier," said Tocchet, h/t NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "He's actually stepped up his English, he's more involved. He's out to dinner with the three rookie guys. I think that's huge for his development too.
"There's communication amongst the young guys. It's not, 'Hey, let the vet talk to him, or let the coach talk to him.' The young guys are handling that leadership stuff too, which is big."
The Flyers notably called up a variety of their top prospects late in the season. The big name was Porter Martone, their 2025 first round pick. Then, later in the season, they called up Alex Bump. But before the turn of the new year, the Flyers called up Denver Barkey. Michkov said that he built up a bond with those three players since they were all in Philadelphia.
"All the young guys, lots of talent," Michkov said, h/t NHL.com. "Bump, Martone and Barkey, such good players. We go (out) every time together.
"My first year, it was just me as the young guy and 'Luchy' (Jett Luchanko) played (four) games. Now four young guys, this is fun for me ... for life and for the ice too."
The Flyers had big expectations for Michkov entering this season. As a rookie, he put up 26 goals and 37 assists in 80 games, good enough to have him finish fourth in the Calder Trophy voting for best rookie. Michkov didn't surpass these numbers this year due in part to his slow start. However, he showed up when it mattered the most. Look no further than April, where he put up four goals and seven assists in eight games. One of those contests was the 3-2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes, where Michkov scored a goal. As a result of that win, the Flyers clinched third place in the Metropolitan Division to get into the playoffs.
Philadelphia is one of the hottest teams in the league entering the playoffs. While they are inexperienced in terms of playoff games played, perhaps they could go on a deep run in the playoffs. The field, especially in the Eastern Conference, is wide open. If the Flyers can get the kind of production from Michkov like they've had since after the Olympic break, they could pull off the upset against the Penguins.
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