The Mad Russian: What Matvei Michkov Reports Mean For The Flyers

A franchise stricken by cringy misfortune and vehemently criticized by its own fan base just caught its biggest break. Multiple sources reported that Matvei Michkov is no longer under contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL in Russia.

The Philadelphia Flyers selected Michkov with the seventh-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. They expected to wait until 2026-27 before he came to the NHL.

What does the Mad Russian’s early flight across the Atlantic Ocean mean for the rebuilding Flyers entering the 2024-25 season?

Michkov scored 19 goals and added 22 assists in 47 KHL games during a loan with HK Sochi in 2023-24. He blossomed into a dynamic offensive weapon by age 19 in a professional league considered the second best in the world.

The 5-foot-10 right winger has built a reputation for his ability to use excellent vision of the ice to make quick decisions with the puck. He has shown creativity as a playmaker and spatial awareness that can help open up ice for teammates.

Charlie O’Connor compared Michkov to Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 31-year-old Russian right winger won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s points leader for the second time in 2023-24.

He was a crucial offensive centerpiece for Stanley Cup teams in 2019-20 and 2020-21, and he won the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP for the 2018-19 season.

Michkov will sign an entry-level contract to play in Philadelphia if he’s no longer a member of SKA St. Petersburg.

He’d almost certainly join the Flyers for the 2024-25 season because he’d have no reason to pursue such great measures to leave Russia at 19 if he’d have to begin in the AHL.

Excitement within the fan base, league-wide interest in the Flyers, and the perception of the timeline for the rebuild just changed drastically overnight.

The Flyers have lacked top-end talent since they traded Claude Giroux in 2022. They struggled to match the NHL’s most dynamic offenses in 2023-24 without any overwhelming skill from their top-six forwards.

Keith Jones called Michkov “a highly-talented player that is different than what we have right now” because he projects to fill the void that’s been hammered home so frequently inside and outside the organization.

The front office tempered expectations for on-ice improvement in 2024-25 before the Michkov news sent Flyers fans into pandemonium. Michkov’s presence alone changes the outlook on the upcoming season.

Related Content: Evaluating 6 Philadelphia Flyers Offseason Trade Candidates

The Flyers drafted the Mad Russian as the hopeful long-term centerpiece of the rebuild with emerging key contributors like Owen Tippett, Cam York, and Tyson Foerster around him.

Matvei Michkov will play in front of fans desperate for a source of hope. The Flyers slipped into mediocrity after the 2012 lockout and later plummeted into futility to extend their Stanley Cup drought upward toward half a century.

The rebuild promised a brighter future and inspired some optimism for something fans couldn’t see right in front of them. The biggest source of hope will now play at the Wells Fargo Center in 2024-25.

The Flyers expected Michkov’s NHL career to begin in 2026-27, three years after they drafted him. The thought that they’d be ready to build a contending roster by the time he left Russia seemed like it fit a logical timeline.

The termination of his KHL contract doesn’t mean that time fast forwards to 2026-27. It means his development will take place in the NHL for additional seasons instead within an organization that hasn’t yet completed the steps to get where they want to be entering the 2026-27 season.

Danny Briere openly discussed the salary cap challenges the Flyers face in constructing the roster.

The front office can’t spend big money in free agency to surround Michkov with the best complementary pieces. They could explore the trade market, which was part of the plan before the Michkov news dropped, but Briere will face tough circumstances in landing the top targets on the market.

The Flyers also enter 2024-25 with major goaltending question marks. Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov, who experienced his own drastic circumstances leaving Russia, don’t bring much NHL experience to the crease.

The organization would like one (or both) to emerge as a full-time NHL starter, but their development will take place simultaneously with Michkov's. 

The assimilation into American culture also isn’t an easy one for a 19-year-old Russian. Egor Zamula consistently gave credit to Ivan Provorov as a friend and mentor when the two Russians played together on the Philadelphia blue line. Fedotov benefitted late last season from having Russian forward Denis Gurianov around to help with the language barrier and the transition to a new environment.

Zamula doesn’t have a roster spot locked up. Fedotov just arrived in North America himself. The Flyers could look to acquire a Russian player for off-ice contributions involving Michkov as much as on-ice contributions.

No conversation about the Flyers ends without addressing the John Tortorella factor.

Philadelphia’s future Hall of Fame head coach has a history of clashes with star players. He doesn’t hesitate to bench players he thinks aren’t performing regardless of their skill sets or draft status.

Tortorella maximized the talent on the roster in 2023-24 despite the late-season collapse. He’s shown an open mind for the changes of the modern NHL in enough instances to demonstrate his concentration on the team’s goals ahead of his own. Young players on the roster like York and Tippett have also benefited from his hard coaching style. 

However, the volatility of his personality leaves the door open for conflict, whether healthy or unhealthy.

Matvei Michkov might have excellent puck skills and dynamic scoring ability, but he doesn’t bring the best reputation as a defensive player to the NHL with him.

The Flyers have assigned Tortorella to manage the culture they’ve so heavily emphasized during the rebuild. They trust his ability to identify the right players who can help them return to Stanley Cup contention.

Is Matvei Michkov one of those players? Tune in for an interesting season in 2024-25.

The rebuild is in full swing, and the Philadelphia Flyers seem to come up in every NHL rumor. Will Danny Briere make a push to acquire Trevor Zegras? What about Jakob Chychrun?

Mitch Marner and Martin Necas might be on the block too. Rutger McGroarty is the most recent addition to the NHL trade rumor mill. The list of potential trade targets continues to grow for the Flyers. 

Any negotiations the Flyers pursue will come with restrictions. Briere made it clear that salary cap challenges will limit the financial flexibility the Flyers work with this offseason.

The young GM, however, spoke to The Athletic after the season ended about his offseason outlook. His promise to stay open for business leaves plenty of room to explore the trade market.

Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen will draw some interest from around the NHL in possible player-for-player trades. The Flyers will look for a new home for Cam Atkinson to finish his NHL career.

Joel Farabee could draw more interest than any other internal trade candidate. The 24-year-old ended the season in a major scoring slump, and a change of scenery doesn’t seem out of the question.

Is Farabee worth dealing for Trevor Zegras? Would the Senators covet Laughton in a Chychrun deal? Rutger McGroarty is the new wild card. An intriguing offseason looms for Danny Briere.

Related Content: Philadelphia Flyers Offseason Primer 2024

Another first-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft out of the US National Team Development Program wants a trade.

The Flyers lost Cutter Gauthier in a now infamous saga that ultimately landed Philadelphia’s former fifth-overall pick with the Anaheim Ducks.

His former teammate Rutger McGroarty reportedly expects a trade just two years after the Winnipeg Jets selected him with the 14th-overall pick.

McGroarty lit up the scoresheet in two seasons at the University of Michigan. He also captained Team USA to a gold medal at the World Junior Championship in Sweden in January.

Reported disagreements with the Jets about his timeline to debut in the NHL, however, will almost certainly end their relationship before it truly begins. The Flyers could look to pick off a dynamic young forward who has unexpectedly hit the market.

A prospect swap with the Flyers seems unlikely, but would Briere deal the 12th-overall pick in 2024 for a player drafted in the same range of the first round two years ago?

The Flyers did look like a sensible partner for Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Jets before the NHL Trade Deadline, although the two front offices never executed a deal.  There’s an even bigger question though.

Would the Flyers waive the concern of another USNTDP prospect who wants to move to a new organization before he ever plays an NHL game? Stay tuned for a chance to see the ultimate irony.

The NHL world turned its attention to John Tortorella in 2021 when he questioned whether a highlight-reel play from Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano was good for the sport. Could Tortorella ironically end up coaching Zegras just a few years later?

Zegras broke out at the NHL level with 61 points in 2021-22 and 65 points in 2022-23. However, he doesn’t look like a centerpiece of the future for the Ducks.

He dealt with injuries in 2023-24, and his production dipped when he was on the ice. The Flyers could pounce on the opportunity for a center with a high-end offensive skill set in need of a change of scenery.

Would Briere pursue the 23-year-old? Questions about Zegras’ attitude have drifted into conversations. The Flyers might hesitate to risk a culture that they’ve emphasized so heavily under the leadership of their new front office.

Trevor Zegras doesn’t look likely to end up in Philadelphia. However, if he’s available, the Flyers should think twice about the culture they’re building if it doesn’t allow for a dynamic young talent to join the mix.

The Flyers have come up in trade conversations about Jakob Chychrun dating back to the left-handed defenseman’s days with the Arizona Coyotes.

Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet linked the Flyers to him at the NHL Trade Deadline. Chychrun’s father Jeff also played parts of five NHL seasons with the Flyers from 1986-1991. Will Briere strike a deal with the Ottawa Senators?

Chychrun broke out offensively with 41 points in 56 games during the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season. However, injuries have stunted his ability to develop into a Norris Trophy caliber defenseman.

Chychrun didn’t fully assimilate on a talented Ottawa team that performed below expectations in 2023-24. He scored 14 goals and added 27 assists to match his career high in scoring, but the Senators could’ve expected more in his first career 82-game season. He hadn’t played more than 68 since his rookie season in 2016-17.

The Senators also became more prone to allowing scoring chances at 5-on-5 with their 26-year-old defenseman on the ice.

His offensive metrics and power-play output didn’t offset the weakness. Although he didn’t reach his potential with the Senators, the Flyers could identify him as a reclamation project who would benefit from Brad Shaw’s coaching.

The Flyers lack a workhorse defenseman they can deploy in a number one role. Briere could aim high to correct the lack of top-end talent on Philadelphia’s roster. Thinking outside the box to land an underperforming player with star potential is an intriguing strategy.

Ottawa will look for a substantial trade package in return for a player with notable injury history entering the final season of his contract.

The Carolina Hurricanes will almost certainly trade impending restricted free agent Martin Necas. The 25-year-old forward will sign a contract in the neighborhood of $6-7 million in average annual value (AAV).

Necas broke out with 28 goals in 2022-23 and followed it up with 24 goals in five fewer games in 2023-24. He’s played center and wing in Carolina.

The Flyers will need to internally evaluate his positional fit before any potential deal. His skill set matches the Flyers’ needs if they deem him a long-term center option.

Initial reports indicated some interest from the Flyers. However, it didn’t look like they could offer the return package that (now) GM Eric Tulsky would ask for.

Elliotte Friedman cited league sources discussing ideas that could change the tides.

Briere would have to part with legitimate talent in a deal to land Martin Necas. The young GM might send Joel Farabee or Morgan Frost (or both) if a blockbuster went down.

The Flyers will need to decide how aggressive they want to be. It would require similar decisions to the line of thinking in a potential Jakob Chychrun trade. Necas, however, wouldn’t cost as much money on a long-term contract as Chychrun or Mitch Marner.

The Flyers haven’t given indicators that Farabee or Frost are off the table in trade discussions. If they’re going to get involved in a blockbuster trade, Martin Necas is probably the likeliest acquisition of high-end skill.

Patrik Laine burst onto the scene as one of the NHL’s best snipers in 2016-17. The Winnipeg Jets fed their breakout sniper for 138 goals in his first four seasons (37 goals per 82 games).

However, he’s since signed two lucrative contracts and failed to stay healthy and match the production of the early years of his career.

The Jets dealt him to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2021. Then head coach John Tortorella quickly benched him. Philadelphia’s new sheriff has proven plenty of times that these instances don’t ruin his long-term relationships with players. Just ask Travis Konecny.

The Flyers lack the sniper skill set Laine brings, especially on their struggling power play. However, the former second-overall pick has graded poorly in defensive metrics consistently enough over eight NHL seasons to think that significant improvement is unlikely.

The Blue Jackets might need to add a sweetener to get a trade partner to accept Laine’s $8.7 million cap hit for the next two seasons.

Danny Briere will most likely pass considering the cap issues in Philadelphia.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have built an impressive lineup of offensive firepower over the past eight seasons. Mitch Marner has developed into a star winger with great two-way ability and value on both special teams units.

He’s averaged over a point per game in 576 career regular-season games, and he excelled his scoring pace with 99 points in 2022-23 and 85 points in 69 games last season.

The intensity of the Toronto market after recent playoff failures and the questionable allocation of top-heavy cap resources have put Marner’s name at the center of trade rumors entering the final season of his contract.

The Maple Leafs don’t want to lose Marner. They’d prefer to extend him, but circumstances could dictate otherwise. Could the Flyers pounce on an opportunity to acquire a dynamic talent in his prime while a unique set of circumstances could potentially lower the return package sent to Toronto?

The rebuilding Flyers will likely extend Travis Konecny, a player the same age, draft class, and position who brings a similar skill set as Marner.

Briere will focus his search for top-end talent more on defensemen and centers than on wingers who command big money, especially if the Flyers sign Konecny to a long-term contract in the neighborhood of $9 million in AAV.

Marner would help solve the lack of high-end talent in Philadelphia. However, don’t expect Briere to make a deal with the Maple Leafs.