Be Excited About Matvei Michkov, But Also Be Reasonable
The Matvei Michkov era has officially begun. We knew he was coming over, but now the Flyers have announced an actual 3-year entry-level contract with him, He will be on the Flyers roster for game 1. There is good reason to be excited about that. Michkov is the most hyped prospect the Flyers have had since Eric Lindros.
With that said, we should be reasonable. Michkov has the potential to be a 50-goal scorer. Something the Flyers haven’t had since John LeClair. Expecting that right away though, would be a bit much to ask of a 19-year-old rookie.
Let Matvei Michkov Have Time To Grow
With the hype, comes expectations. There is eventually going to be a lot of pressure on Michkov to be great, but let’s keep those expectations reasonable for year 1. Connor Bedard had similar hype coming into his rookie season last year. He did not instantly become a superstar.
Have we seen players become stars instantly? Yes. Alex Ovechkin, a guy Michkov draws comparisons to, scored 52 goals and had 54 assists right out of the gate. But Connor McDavid didn’t have his 1st 40-goal season until year 3.
The team around Matvei Michkov is not going to be great. It appears the Flyers are not going to do much to help the team right now this offseason. An adjustment period would not be all too unexpected.
It sounds obvious to say, but with how hyped up Michkov is, and how excited Flyers fans are, it also feels necessary. Dont expect him to be a superstar right out the gate. He might be. He has that type of talent. but if he is just a good player next season, don’t start panicking.
Based on everything we have seen and heard, Michkov is going to be a special player. He could be someone who scores 100 points every season. If Danny Briere does his job and puts the pieces around him, Michkov could be the guy who gets the Flyers back to the promised land.
Just understand he is a 19-year-old kid playing in a league full of grown men. It might not happen right away. That is okay. He hopefully has a long career ahead of him. The fact that this Flyers team is not ready to compete yet, might be a good thing. It will put less pressure on him right away, giving him time to adjust to the league before he is expected to carry them to anything.
Let’s keep our excitement very high, but our expectations at a reasonable level for year 1 of the Matvei Michkov era.