Evaluating Matvei Michkov’s Rookie Season With The Flyers

Danny Briere didn’t expect Matvei Michkov to make his NHL debut until the 2026-27 season when the Philadelphia Flyers picked the Russian phenom in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Michkov left the KHL early and put together one dynamic offensive season in North America already.

While Flyers fans naturally felt the exhilaration of the organization’s most skilled prospect since Eric Lindros, how should they view his 2024-25 season on the whole? What they should they expect from Michkov as the organization's rebuild moves into a new phase?

Michkov delivered in 2024-25 with electrifying skill that inspired hope within the Philadelphia fan base that the Flyers have found a franchise cornerstone.

He led all NHL rookies with 26 goals, and he finished tied for second with 63 points. Both Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks have better odds to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year.

However, an awards race doesn’t define an NHL player’s career, especially for three players who couldn’t legally drink in the United States when the 2024-25 season began.

Michkov showed incredible vision as a puck carrier that justified comparisons to his countryman Nikita Kucherov. The Flyers have generated a high percentage of their scoring chances in the transition game the past two seasons, and Michkov added the dynamic finishing ability off the rush that most other players on the roster lack. 

However, evaluation of the offensive success comes with a necessary context best explained by splitting his season into thirds (roughly).

Michkov stormed out of the gates with 27 points in his first 27 NHL games. While he struggled to produce at 5-on-5, his skill translated smoothly on the power play and during the 3-on-3 overtime period.

Tim Saunders rejoiced when “The Magic Man” scored three overtime winners in the first two months of the season. 

Michkov followed up the hot start with only five goals and four assists in his next 28 games.

John Tortorella spoke about how the 82-game schedule grinds on rookies who play shorter schedules in college or overseas leagues. The Flyers reached the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off break on February 8 with their most skilled forward slumping.

Michkov utilized the two-week rest with another hot streak in the final third of the season. He scored 10 goals and added 17 assists in his final 25 games after February 22.

Additional playing time in the final nine games under interim head coach Brad Shaw gave one last jolt to his scoring numbers. Michkov averaged 16:41 of ice time in 71 games under Tortorella and 19:36 in nine games under Shaw.

The Flyers finished 30th in the NHL on the power play in 2024-25. They failed to develop a rhythm with Michkov as a featured puck carrier or any go-to shooter in the flank position or a reliable quarterback from the back end.

If a new power-play coach utilizes Michkov in his comfort zone, the Russian winger could catch fire and boost his scoring totals with points on the man advantage.

Briere openly shared before the 2024-25 season that he expected fireworks between Matvei Michkov and John Tortorella. Two strong personalities tend to butt heads, but the Flyers hoped hard coaching would force better long-term habits for a flawed young player.

The fiery head coach walked a tightrope looking to enforce better defensive responsibility without holding back Michkov’s dynamic offense. Tortorella controversially sat the Russian as a healthy scratch for two games in November.

He later pushed back against a general media sentiment about his relationship with Michkov.

Michkov struggled on the defensive side. Despite the vehement criticism and ultimate dismissal, Tortorella didn’t make these problems up for the sake of discipline.

The rookie winger showed a tendency to cheat out of his own zone too early before breakout plays took shape looking for potential transition scoring chances. He also made high-risk passes that too often led to scoring chances against.

Michkov’s advanced statistics show the offensive ability coupled with the defensive deficiency.

His ability to generate offense reflects in rankings towards the top of the NHL in the opportunities he created for the Flyers. The opposing offense generated against the Flyers with Michkov on the ice paints a different picture.

Despite several of his play-driving percentage shares falling below the 50% median, NHL players with his elite skill and finishing ability often make up for their defensive risks by capitalizing on a higher rate of their own offensive chances.

Defensive struggles are part of NHL growing pains. Tortorella’s intention to develop Michkov’s long-term habits could ultimately pay dividends, although the intangible idea will be difficult to identify throughout an NHL career that could last many years after the memory of the notorious head coach fades farther into the distance.

Michkov was unsurprisingly a major talking point during end-of-season press conferences. Briere spoke about the first player he ever drafted with extreme confidence in the competitive edge of a future franchise cornerstone.

Michkov motivated himself at crucial points during the season. He circled a matchup with Celebrini on November 11 and executed with a goal and an assist against the Sharks. He also flashed his excellence with a goal in the anticipated matchup against Cutter Gauthier and the Anaheim Ducks on January 11.

Travis Konecny echoed the sentiment about the competitive spirit that defines athletes who reach the top of their profession.

Michkov himself demonstrated that internal desire to improve by any means necessary.

He approached Briere with a detailed offseason training plan that struck the young GM as a sign of maturity most 20-year-old NHL players don’t have. Michkov also spoke about the disappointment in his flaws as a rookie. He hasn’t shown satisfaction largely because of playing on a rebuilding team with everything left to prove. 

The Flyers believe they’ve found the competitive edge that characterizes a superstar who can carry them into the next generation of Stanley Cup glory, and maybe more importantly, Michkov believes it about himself.