Philadelphia Flyers 2024-25 Player Preview: Matvei Michkov

In Philadelphia, we aren't used to seeing a rookie arrive with so much hype. Maybe that's because when our teams are bad, they aren't, you know, Cleveland Browns level bad. True, the Sixers tanked on purpose and would turn high draft picks into more draft picks, but even Joel Embiid wasn't hyped like this. Aaron Nola was probably the last Phillies prospect that had this level of excitement coming in. For the Eagles, you'd have to look at Devonta Smith or maybe even as far back as Carson Wentz. Right now, the hottest rookie in town is Matvei Michkov.

There hasn't been a rookie that has brought this level of excitement to the Flyers since Eric Lindros. Sure, players like Mikael Renberg, Simon Gagne, and James van Riemsdyk had great rookie seasons, but there hadn't been this level of anticipation before the season got started for a rookie's arrival in orange and black.

So, can he perform? Will he be good enough? Time will tell. Is it fair to give him this level of greatness before he has played at the NHL level? Probably not. The Flyers management is already trying to temper some of that excitement into more realistic expectations. He's not going to come out and put up Wayne Gretzky-Alex Ovechkin-type numbers, 46 and 52 goals respectively. But then again, he could. He's probably not going to single-handedly turn this franchise around, but then again, he might.

The problem with a hype train is that if it doesn't meet all expectations, especially right away, it'll make everyone disappointed and upset. Similar to the last few Star Wars and Marvel films...you get your hopes up so high, that they can't possibly meet the bar you have set for them.

Michkov is 19. He won't turn 20 until December. He has a lot of hockey to learn. Heck, Ovechkin didn't play until he was 20. He may not set the world on fire right off the bat. However, he has plenty of time to do that in the years to come. If the hype train is worth it, we are going to be entertained for years to come.

First things first. Get him here in Philly. Get him into training camp and learn the system. Get him acclimated to the NHL. After that, we can watch him soar. For us fans, we have to be patient. Let him grow and learn and hustle and stumble and rise again. If we can do that, we will watch a star grow up and be with us for an entire career in Philly. That, in itself, is sweeter than anything we can imagine. Sit back and silence your phones...the show is about to start.