Matvei Michkov did not have the sophomore NHL season many expected.
After a 63-point (26g, 37a) rookie campaign saw him finish fourth in Calder Trophy voting, Michkov recorded just 51 points (20g, 31a) this past season. Perhaps more concerning was his postseason effort, which saw him produce just one assist in eight games and sit out as a healthy scratch multiple times.
According to the Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco, those struggles have made Michkov potentially less “untouchable” than previously thought, as the team plans to listen on players in trade discussions this summer. The Flyers shocked the NHL by qualifying for the postseason, taking out the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round before being swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Second Round.
While the Flyers are certainly in no rush to move Michkov, it feels like he isn’t as untouchable as we once thought. Speaking with team sources earlier in the week, DFO was told that the Flyers would “listen on everyone” if it meant improving the team – which is what every good NHL team does. But given that this was said during a conversation regarding Michkov, it is at least somewhat noteworthy given that the word “untouchable” had been synonymous with him in the past.
Michkov did not play in Game 5 of Philadelphia’s series against the Penguins or in Game 4 against the Hurricanes, both of which were Flyers losses. In the playoffs, he averaged just 11:49 of time on ice per game, 3:01 less than he averaged during the regular season (14:50). Head coach Rick Tocchet had already reduced Michkov’s role from the 16:41 he averaged during his rookie 2024-25 season.
“It’s coach’s decision,” Michkov said during his season-ending media availability. “I’m a player that should go on the ice and do my job. If the coach decides I have to miss the game, I have to take it. Go back on the ice, train, and work for the best. Unfortunately, can not control what can not control.”
Michkov garnered criticism throughout the season, as he appeared to arrive at training camp out of shape and struggled to recover from an offseason ankle injury. The Flyers also already went through a contentious stretch with Michkov during his rookie season, as the young winger battled with head coach John Tortorella both publicly and privately.
“This summer, for him, he has already got all these different plans, which is great,” Tocchet said Wednesday. “I think there’s something he can work on – separation speed, his shot, all that stuff. But it’s not just him. Every young guy, I could carbon copy the same thing. You have to be able to improve on all different areas.”
Beyond potential off-ice considerations and improvement, Michkov was also ineffective at five-on-five during the playoffs to a concerning degree. During his minutes, the Flyers saw just 30.6 percent of shot attempts, 31 percent of expected goals, 24.6 percent of scoring chances, and 20.2 percent of high-danger chances. The sheer level of ineptitude raises the question of whether the 21-year-old forward has checked out of the team and whether Philadelphia would be keen to move on from him ahead of the final year of his entry-level contract.
“Listen, it’s not like everybody was on point in their game,” Tocchet said. “I’m not going to single out him, there were a couple of guys that struggled. Mich, it’s his first playoff run; he’s a second-year player. I think if it happened to another young guy, nobody would really say anything. But it’s the pressure of that. We’ve just got to let this kid breathe because I think he has made a lot of strides. I can’t talk for last year, but I can talk for this year, that he has made some strides.”
The Flyers are reportedly in the market for a “scoring-line centerman” this summer and could use Michkov to secure the player they desire. If the former seventh overall pick truly becomes available, he’ll likely have a long line of suitors looking to see if they can unlock the potential he showed more during his freshman campaign.
