Matvei Michkov, Flyers don’t expect him to be “a savior”

While being an official member of the Philadelphia Flyers hasn't fully sunken in for Matvei Michkov, seeing him put the jersey on for the first time was real enough for everyone. Though Michkov said this was the second time he has worn it because the first was draft night.

Nonetheless, Michkov arrived in Philadelphia on Tuesday morning and sat in front of Flyers media on Wednesday. Alongside GM Danny Briere and Slava Kuznetsov, a consultant to the team who was acting as the translator, Michkov shared his excitement at being a part of the Flyers.

And while he brings a high-end talent to a team that is in desperate need of it, the Flyers won't be looking at him to be "the savior" of their team. They hope he can be just another piece to what will hopefully turn into a contending team in the future.

Flyers don't expect Matvei Michkov to be their savior

We don't see him as a savior," Briere said during Michkov's introductory press conference. "That's certainly not what we're putting on his shoulders. He's 19 years old, he's coming in to learn, to expand his game. We hope that the sky's the limit for him, but we're certainly not expecting him to be the savior of this team. We're building a team that's going to have many pieces to work together. And we're hoping that he becomes one of them.

As for Michkov, he stressed that the team winning and making it to the playoffs was the goal. He dismissed any individual goals he had for himself, instead stating the only thing that mattered in the end. And it's to "go all the way" and win the whole thing. Not a bad goal to have.

But first, it will be about getting acclimated to his new surroundings. The Flyers plan to do everything they can to help. Michkov will have an English tutor to help him learn the language, though he has been practicing and is getting better every day. He will also have players like Egor Zamula and Ivan Fedotov around to help translate things. Kuznetsov is expected to be around to help during training camp as well.

The strength of the Flyers locker room will also play a role in things. Briere stressed the closeness of the room and mentioned names such as Nic Deslauriers, Garnet Hathaway, and Erik Johnson as veterans can help him fit in. And someone like Deslauriers may play a special role for Michkov according to Briere.

We also showed him a video of a fight between Nic and the Rangers [in a] game last year and told him that it's his new best friend

Aside from Johnson, who spoke previously on the conversations with Michkov, there are a few others who have reached out as well. Michkov has spoken to Fedotov, Zamula, and Sean Couturier as well. He mentioned how much he appreciated the warm welcome and was looking forward to meeting everyone in person.

One person that Michkov has not met yet is John Tortorella. There won't be a camera around for that meeting, but Briere has already spoken about Tortorella's excitement regarding being able to coach a player like Michkov. Briere has also stressed on multiple occasions that he feels that Tortorella is the perfect coach for Michkov to learn from as he begins his NHL career.

We all know that he's gifted offensively, very, very talented. But he's gonna have the chance to learn under Torts to play the other side of the ice as well," Briere said. "And that gets me excited. He's gonna get that base early on and I think it's just gonna make him better for the rest of his career.

Michkov has already been on the ice, taking a skate before his introductory press conference. He's ready to pay it forward to the fans who have already shown him tremendous support.

It's unreal how the fans are reacting, how welcome he felt coming in," Michkov said through Kuznetsov. "At the same time, the main idea right now is getting ready, show really good hockey for the fans, and play the best game they can play.