Matvei Michkov returned to the Sochi lineup after missing close to a month of action. A case of pneumonia kept him out of the lineup after he last played on Dec. 1. Even after missing seven games, he is tied for the team lead in goals. He has appeared in 10 fewer games than the other player with 12 goals, and 30 of Sochi’s 45 games this season.
Michkov’s strong season had earned him a nod to the KHL All-Star Game. While unable to play in the game, he did attend the festivities earlier this month.
And in true Michkov fashion, he scored his 12th goal of the season in his first game back in the lineup. He had gone four games without a goal prior to his illness, his longest drought since the first four games of his season with Sochi.
Matvei Michkov is back!
— KHL (@khl_eng) December 28, 2023
First game since December 1. First goal since November 16. He leads HC Sochi with 12 goals. pic.twitter.com/0ijuP2Sxpx
Unfortunately, his return was not enough to stop Sochi’s losing way. They have now lost nine straight games and are last in the West. It’s no fault of Michkov, though, as he has been their star player.
It’s going to take some time before Flyers fans will get to see Michkov wearing the orange and black. There wasconcern recently that it would be even longer before he would be able to come over. His contract in the KHL ends in 2026, but it was thought that a new order would force him to stay at least another year or two after that. That doesn’t appear to be the case, but we will have to wait and see.
By the end of his contract, Michkov will have played five seasons in the KHL. Unless he is signed to an extension prior to the end of that, he likely doesn’t fall under the order of keeping players in the league for longer amounts of time. With his desire to play in the NHL, it would be hard to see Michkov agreeing to signing on for longer.
For now, it’s great to see Michkov back in the lineup and scoring goals. Flyers fans will continue to have their eyes on him for the near and distant future.