‘He’s Going to Be Really Good’: Flyers Legend Bobby Clarke Endorses Matvei Michkov

Philadelphia Flyers legend Bobby Clarke recently praised 20-year-old Flyers forward Matvei Michkov. Clarke's comments come as those in the league are witnessing the potential that lies ahead for the Russian hockey star.

Despite needing to adapt to playing the game on North American ice, Michkov's competitiveness and confidence have made those in the league sit up and take notice.

Coming from the playing ice surfaces of the KHL in St. Petersburg, Russia, Michkov has had to adjust his game. The configuration of the NHL rinks means Michkov has less time and less space to make plays, something opposing teams have begun to notice.

Clarke told The Hockey News he believes Michkov will have to learn to check more to get the puck and get used to tighter coverage on him.

"He's going to be really good," Clarke said. "But as good as these kids are, you're going to have to wait to see their true potential. Look at [Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard], he's setting the league on fire and it's his second year. These kids, they'll hit their stride at 23 or 24 in a few years. They look good now, but they're just scratching the surface."

Acquiring Michkov, the Flyers' No. 7 selection in the 2023 draft, was pure luck for Philadelphia, as Kevin Kurz described for The New York Times. Michkov's contract with the KHL had three more years, and the situation with Russia's war with Ukraine made the prospect of drafting Michkov risky.

But in June 2023, Michkov's agent, Maxim Moliver, reached out to the Flyers. Michkov was visiting the United States ahead of the draft and wanted to meet with the Flyers. During one of his meetings with team executives, Michkov described how much he wanted to be part of the Flyers and shared names of Flyers legends like Clarke.

The Flyers recognized Michkov's talents on the ice, but they weren't 100% certain they would get him, given that the San Jose Sharks had the No. 4 pick, followed by the Montreal Canadiens and the Arizona Coyotes. To their surprise, Michkov made it through those teams, which gave Philadelphia its chance at Michkov for a No. 7 draft selection.

Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers stole the attention of the hockey world while the pieces of a trade with the Calgary Flames came together.

The Flyers ultimately dealt two players that once looked like a key part of their long-term future both before and during the tenure of the current front office. However, key takeaways from the trade include more important indicators in the big picture of Philadelphia's rebuild.

The trade superficially looks like a head scratcher for the Flyers. Farabee and Frost bring unquestionably more value to the current NHL roster than Kuzmenko and Pelletier.

Neither of Philadelphia’s new additions appear likely to make significant contributions to the organizational rebuild. The two draft picks in the deal aren’t the type of overwhelming return that offsets the disparity of NHL talent switching teams.

However, four additional indicators in the aftermath of the trade suggest the Flyers will make at least one follow-up move.

While the immediate salaries changing hands don’t look too different, the Flyers will benefit from cap relief much sooner. They shed Farabee’s annual $5 million cap hit through 2028 in favor of Kuzmenko’s short-term $5.5 million cap hit that comes off the books after the 2024-25 season.

The Flyers now own seven picks in the first two rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft (three in the first, four in the second). They’re unlikely to make all seven picks.

Related: Fedoruk, Hilferty Making Strides With Manifesto & Flyers Warriors

Their stockpile of draft picks keeps growing, but they also must consider that an NHL organization can only hand out 50 contracts at a time. The limit decreases the likelihood that late-round prospects have an NHL future with the Flyers.

Briere also acknowledged Philadelphia’s “glaring need” for centers less than two weeks before trading the highest-scoring full-time center on the current roster. A move for a replacement looks like it's looming.

The biggest addition to the current Flyers roster will turn 29 one week after the trade. Kuzmenko exploded for 39 goals in his first NHL season in 2022-23 after spending the early years of his professional career in the KHL in Russia.

He overlapped with Matvei Michkov as a teammate with SKA St. Petersburg for a short stint in 2021-22. His ability to speak Russian could add a short-term locker room benefit for Michkov.

Kuzmenko shot an astounding 27.3% with the Vancouver Canucks in his prolific rookie season. His 16.3% rate in 109 games the past two seasons is a more realistically sustainable expectation.

The winger doesn’t look like a long-term piece after falling out of favor with Vancouver and Calgary since signing the big ticket after his rookie campaign.

He’s scored four goals and added 11 assists in 37 games with the Flames this season. The Flyers can afford to give a player with a high offensive ceiling a look in a season with low expectations.

However, at the current juncture, he doesn’t look like a major part of Philadelphia’s plan to improve their offensive firepower and build a Stanley Cup contender.

The Flames selected undersized winger Jakob Pelletier 12 picks behind Cam York in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Pelletier struggled with injuries in his development and became an AHL/NHL swing player in Calgary. The 5-foot-9, 160-pounder has scored eight goals and added 13 assists in 61 career NHL games over parts of three seasons.

Despite an impressive AHL scoring track record, the Flyers shouldn’t bet on him to outscore Frost or Farabee for the remainder of the 2024-25 season before he becomes a restricted free agent.  

After Joel Farabee stormed out of the gates with eight goals and nine assists in the first 18 games of Covid-shortened 2020-21 season, the Flyers thought they had found a top-six building block.

Farabee faded as a productive scorer over a long enough time span that pushed Briere to pull the plug. The gritty winger carved out a solid role for himself as a full-time NHL player, and he has a good chance to succeed with the Flames in a similar role.

However, in his final 82 games with the Flyers, his 13 goals and 16 assists didn’t justify a contract worth $5 million average annual value. 

Briere dealt a player who stepped into a leadership role among the young veterans after the Claude Giroux trade in 2022. He hadn’t previously shown the willingness to subtract players who’ve helped to establish a strong culture.

Farabee predated Owen Tippett, Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, and others in his age range. He used his experience within the organization to help locker room relationships and build team chemistry.

Will Scott Laughton or other veterans follow behind Farabee in the greater interest of acquiring talent in the rebuild?

The 27th-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft shot up the prospect rankings with an outstanding junior career in the OHL. He never reached his expected offensive ceiling in 278 NHL games over parts of six seasons with the Flyers.

Frost struggled to click with John Tortorella, a demanding head coach who sat the young center as a healthy scratch frequently during three seasons together in Philadelphia.

Frost’s underwhelming physical play and his demeanor never impressed Tortorella. A high skill level never led to outstanding offensive numbers that forced the head coach to think differently.

The awkward relationship led to Frost’s inclusion in trade rumors for years. Briere has finally closed the book on a tenure with the Flyers that didn't meet high expectations.

The 25-year-old will hit restricted free agency this offseason. The Flyers weren’t planning on offering him a long-term contract.

The loss of Morgan Frost isn't detrimental to the state of the rebuild, but it does remove one of the most skilled forwards on the 2024-25 Flyers. How will Tortorella reshuffle his lineup immediately? How will Briere address the long-term future of the center position?