The seventh overall pick in the 2023 has landed in Philadelphia much sooner than anticipated. Matvei Michkov has signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers and join the team for the 2024-25 NHL season. While it’s a big win the front office was able to get him to North America two years before originally expected, it’s only half the battle. Taking a look around at the rest of the team, what questions can we ask about the Flyers now that Michkov is in tow?
Number 5: Who Leads Who?
19-year-old Matvei Michkov is going to join a team of painfully average players. In a perfect world, he’d get to work his way into the new league surrounded by talent and grow over time, but he’s going to feel the entire weight of the franchise on his back from day one. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if he led the team in points by season’s end or if he’s the most skilled player on the roster, but with the bulk of the 2024 offseason in the books and the Flyers failing on all fronts to help insulate his arrival, now that there’s one splash of color on an otherwise gray team is Michkov going to be the one doing the carrying already?
Number 4: Who Does He Open the Season With?
On more of a micro scale to the previous entry, what is the best top line the Flyers can muster right now? Is it Foerster – Frost – Michkov? While there’s some definite intrigue there, it’s not exactly a guaranteed intimidating trio and it may give Tortorella heart palpitations. Maybe they opt for vets for insulation like Tippett – Couturier – Michkov? That’s probably even worse depending on the health of Couturier. The top nine fairly interchangeable, which is both a good and bad thing, but at this point there really isn’t a “dream” line the Flyers could muster for Michkov, which takes away from a bit of the anticipation he brings with him.
Number 3: Michkov vs Konecny
The Flyers did the inevitable and signed their top right wing and soon-to-be-28-year-old Travis Konecny to a lifetime extension. While it wasn’t necessarily an unexpected outcome, the fact they just committed $70 million to a position that their new toy Michkov plays is a bit of a head scratcher. Is Konecny 1RW for the foreseeable future and Michkov is limited because of it? Or did they just pay a super premium for a 2RW and Michkov leaves Konecny’s mediocre ass in the dust from day one? Considering their wing depth in general is strong (but with virtually no center depth) and everyone’s vying for ice time, there’s no easy solution to undo the clog until the season starts and we get a better read on what their plan for divvying up minutes looks like.
Number 2: The Rebuild Timeline
The original expected 2026-27 ETA of Michkov gave the organization some time to drag their feet a bit. There was not crucial need to address their monetary struggles or main roster flaws. To an extent, their hands are tied a bit during the 2024-25 season because of financial issues of their own making, but when that 2025 offseason rolls around, sitting on the sidelines with their hands in their pockets should be unacceptable, especially if they don’t manage to make much progress during the season.
The reality is, no matter who has been in charge of the organization, they’ve accepted complacency for far too long. Proactivity is not a trait the Flyers possess. But Michkov’s arrival may be the metaphorical bomb needed to actually spark change, the move that will finally light a fire under Briere and co. to make the biggest moves the organization has seen in well over a decade (even though they clearly didn’t feel any kind of pressure to do so in 2024).
John Tortorella said himself that nothing changes until the “Mad Russian” makes the jump to the NHL. He probably didn’t expect to have his words checked so quickly, but this is the front office’s shining moment to prove they intend on actually building a winning product here rather than falling into the Ron Hextall trap of “rebuilding” but never taking steps forward.
Number 1: John Tortorella
Speaking of Tortorella, It’s hard to focus on Michkov’s arrival without noting who he is going to be playing under next season. Head coach John Tortorella hasn’t exactly been on the up-and-up when it comes to prospect development. Outside of Tyson Foerster, who only succeeded because his two-way game was up to snuff, Torts’ track record when it comes to integrating prospects into the NHL lineup has been less than stellar.
This is always a touchy topic amongst Flyers fans, and there’s a good chance some are breathing heavily out of their mouths just reading this, but it’s a more than valid question. How long until Michkov is benched because he didn’t backcheck? Or because he made a minor defensive mistake? Fans can pretend this hasn’t been a problem with their B-tier prospects like Bobby Brink, Olle Lycksell, Ronnie Attard, Morgan Frost, Wade Allison, Tanner Laczynski, Emil Andrae and others, but will it be so easily swept under the rug when it happens to Michkov? And in the unlikely chance it doesn’t happen to the Russian rookie the question then becomes why can’t Torts give everyone a proper chance?
Either way, whatever happens here, the warm fuzzing feeling many fans have for Torts won’t last if he starts rocking the Michkov boat. The allegiance more than likely lies within the player in this case, and if the Flyers front office want to keep their harmonious relationship with the fans on good terms, it’s best they do what they can to make sure their coach highlights Michkov rather than bury him for any flaw he may have.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
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