Maybe a lot of this is our fault. After all, we lifted Matvei Michkov to be the savior of the Philadelphia Flyers even before he hit the ice in North America. He had great draft grades, performed well in the KHL, and kept saying he couldn't wait to come over here to the US to play in the NHL.
For a team that hadn't had a legit star since Claude Giroux was traded (sorry Travis Konecny), he seemed to be the hoped-for redeemer of the franchise that we had waited so long for. The team management had told us to temper our expectations, but we didn't want to listen.
His rookie season went well. For a team in the midst of turmoil, such as firing their head coach with a month left to go in the season, he performed well. He scored 26 goals with 37 assists. Despite leading all rookies in goals scored last season, he finished only fourth in the voting for the Calder Trophy. Despite this, there were high hopes for an even better season during the 2025-26 campaign.
To be fair, the season is only about a third of the way over or so. Still, the Michkov we are seeing is not producing at last year's clip. As of right now, he has scored nine goals with 11 assists. Instead of leading this team in goals, his eight goals are good for fifth. His 11 assists tie him with Owen Tippett for eighth place. Overall, in points, he is fifth with 19.
Michkov is averaging less than 15 minutes of ice time. That's a full two minutes less than last season. For forwards that have played more than 20 games or more this season, only Rodrigo Abols, Nikita Grebenkin, and Garnet Hathaway have played less. He's not being used as much on the penalty kill, the power play, or in overtime. You'd think that, considering the Flyers have appeared in a lot of overtime games recently and have lost an ungodly number of them, they'd try to employ his offensive skills a bit more.
Which begs the question, why? Why aren't the Flyers playing him more? He's not a complete player yet. Last year, he was a healthy scratch for two games as John Tortorella wanted him to learn how to improve the defensive aspects of his game. This is something that current head coach Rick Tocchet is trying to help him with. It's to the point where there seems to be a rift growing between the two of them. Is there a rift, or is it a creation of the media because we've seen this story before? Who really knows?
One thing is for sure: this situation can't last forever. Either Michkov grows into what Tocchet believes he can become, or he stagnates out and doesn't improve his game. If he stagnates or if he refuses to play the way Tocchet wants, the other option is to trade the phenom.
What Could Flyers Get For Michov?
First of all, I want to make it clear that I am not suggesting that the Flyers are currently trying to move him or ship him out. It would be, however, irresponsible not to take offers on any proposals. It doesn't mean you have to listen to them or accept them, but if there were a blockbuster deal on the table that could drastically improve this team, then it might be unwise not to at least consider it.
There are a lot of players who could be moved ahead of the trade deadline this season. Some of them the Flyers could really use. If the cost were Michkov, it might be worth it. Could he be the price to land Elias Pettersson? He was when it came to Quinn Hughes, and the Flyers refused to move him then.
However, I would only pull the trigger on such a deal if it were a sign and trade. It would not be worth trading Michkov for only two+ months of someone like Alex Tuch or Kiefer Sherwood. If, instead, they wanted to sign a long-term deal to stay in Philly, that's another story.
The Case for Trading Michkov
Sometimes, you have to trade your best asset to get better. Michkov would be one of the best assets to trade. The ironic thing is that it might not be that big of a loss. If you look at this team, they are pretty strong at right wing. Bobby Brink is having a career year. Travis Konecny is having another solid year. Owen Tippett is the source of a lot of rumors right now, and it is probably affecting him somewhat.
More importantly, we are probably just a season away from seeing Porter Martone full-time. His ascension could make us forget all about Michkov. On the left wing side, we could see Tyson Foerster returning next season. Christian Dvorak is having a career season, as is Noah Cates. Mickhov could be expendable.
Michkov could probably bring a first-round pick and more. If there is a center, winger, young goalie, or defender that the Flyers desire, Michkov could be a piece used to acquire him. Several young players may not be happy in their current situations. This could be a great flip. He could even bring in more than one prospect or draft pick.
The Case for Keeping Michkov
However, draft picks don't always pan out, and neither do prospects. We've seen Michkov perform well here. Maybe he just needs an adjustment to the new system. Giving up on him now would be foolish. Combined with the loss of the Flyers' top pick previously in Cutter Gauthier, it would be as if the Flyers are wasting picks on talent...again. They can't afford to do that.
True, players can regress and never become what they are built up to be. But given time and the fact that he is just 21, Michkov could truly become a foundational piece of this franchise. He seems eager to learn and loves to play. Time and patience could be all that is necessary. Maybe we are being impatient because we want him to score 40-50 goals now. Plus, this team has a history of trading kids with talent only to see them explode somewhere else (Patrick Sharp).
No matter what, the "situation", if there is any, needs to be watched carefully. The last thing this team needs is another drama between a star player and the team (Kevin Hayes and Tortorella, Eric Lindros and Bobby Clarke, etc.). And if it is truly nothing, then perhaps we need to back off just a bit.