The "Michkov Controversy" is pretty much consuming every Flyers fan's mind right now. And here's the thing: is there a controversy? Daniel Briere has said there has been nothing said to him or the rest of the Flyers Administration. Michkov has stated he has not requested a trade. Is it a vain attempt at the Flyers trying to keep things in-house, or is it news media speculating on something that isn't there? And by perpetuating something that isn't there, you create a controversy.
One of the biggest causes of the celebration in all of this is the tiff between Matvei Mihckov and Nick Seeler. What was said? Nobody is saying. A lot of pundits are reading between the lines because of things that Seeler had been saying in earlier interviews as the Flyers continue to crash out. The fact that Seeler, of all players, on the Flyers, has people upset.
Who the heck does Seeler think he is? He's just a body out there on defense. Maybe they should trade him. He's old and no good! Yada yada yada. After all, we need to keep our young star player happy. We can afford to trade him. After all, the team is flush with good defensive prospects...right?
But what if....maybe, just maybe....what if Seeler is right?
In Defense of Nick Seeler
Just because you have talent doesn't mean you are good. Case in point: former Flyer Alexander Daigle. He was supposed to be the next big breakout superstar, combining size and speed like nobody else. Instead, he has gone down as a huge bust because A) He could never fully put it together. B) He was not a good teammate, and C) Uncoachable.
Personally, this team seems to be lacking in locker room leadership. You don't see a lot of accountability or anyone, especially from the vets, saying, "We have to do better," or "Follow me, we got this!" This looks like a team going off the rails with no answers in sight. If Seeler is willing to step out of the shadows and start stepping up as a veteran player, I applaud that. If that player that he is choosing to call out is a player who doesn't seem to be listening to his coaches (it's interesting that two coaches have had similar problems with him), he should be applauded as well, no matter if he is leading the team in goals.
A selfish player in the locker room is poison. Star players shouldn't be coddled to protect their fragile little egos. We saw that as Eagles fans in the past with Terrell Owens and were lucky to dump off AJ Brown before he became worse. Any Phillies fans out there wishing for Nick Castellanos to return, or Sixers fans wanting to see Ben Simmons back? No, no there is not.
Now, I am not saying Michkov is selfish, but on the play that allegedly got the two players into an argument, Seeler was wide open. No, he is not Cale Makar, but he had a wide open shot and could have generated a great scoring chance. Michkov held onto the puck, shot it, and it turned into a great scoring chance for the other team. This is a problem that Michkov has had dating back to when John Tortorella was the coach. He stays out too long, holds onto the puck too much, and refuses to share.
Ok, Michkov is the better shooter and leads the team with 10 goals. Yes. Great point. However, if you refuse to pass to teammates, the message you send to them is, "I don't trust you with the puck." That's not good.
Seeler, as a veteran, is in his full right to educate the younger players. It doesn't matter if he is a "stay at home defender" or more of a scorer. Seeler has been around the league a while and played with and against some great players. He knows a thing or two and is valuable in that respect. He is probably the best defensive-minded defender this team has had since Brayden Coburn.
There are no golden gooses or sacred cows here. Nobody is immune to criticism, as no player is perfect. If calling out a player and saying he can do better is what it takes to shake this team up, then do it. If he can't handle the criticism, then Michkov is weak and will never cut it in Philly. Star players need to get called out from time to time. Instead of wrapping him up in bubble wrap so he feels safe, sometimes you need to feel the stings of being a professional athlete. That's how you get better.
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