The Real Appeal of Matvei Michkov For Flyers Fans

Matvei Michkov didn’t score any goals or win any Stanley Cups during his introductory press conference. He actually didn’t even speak in a language that the majority of Philadelphia Flyers fans would understand. The 19-year-old Russian winger will need time to develop in the NHL. The players around him aren’t ready for championship contention, and they won’t be for several years. What made fans so excited when he appeared at the Flyers Training Center in Vorhees during the dead of the NHL offseason then? It has less to do with hockey and much more to do with a franchise trying to rediscover itself after a brutally long stretch outside the spotlight. Danny Briere Instilling A New Attitude The Flyers announced Danny Briere and Keith Jones as the pillars of the new hockey operations department in May 2023. Two former players with minimal front office experience inherited financial disarray, a lack of top-end talent, and a team that had missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. Although the public didn’t realize it, Philadelphia's top prospect Cutter Gauthier also had no interest in building the New Era of Orange. https://twitter.com/ToNewbyginnings/status/1816135578963833320 The Flyers held the seventh-overall pick in a draft that included only four projected stars. Danny Briere, however, set his sights high with the first selection he’d make as an NHL general manager. A combination of good fortune and bold confidence pushed Briere to take the risk the Flyers need to move on from the dormancy they’d entered for the previous decade. Other NHL organizations passed on Matvei Michkov, who landed second or third on most draft boards, out of fear for his timeline leaving the KHL Russia. Danny Briere instead announced Philadelphia’s real intention to reemerge as a relevant NHL franchise willing to take risks that define their competitive spirit. He’s feeling okay about his gamble now that a fiercely competitive 19-year-old has crossed the Atlantic two years earlier than the Flyers expected. The Identity Of A Franchise The Flyers drifted through a period of mediocrity under GM Ron Hextall from 2014-2018. They plummeted into outright futility after the Covid-19 pandemic in a disastrous end to the Chuck Fletcher regime. The conversation shifted to subjective topics about how the franchise had lost its identity. What’s their identity? Is the buzzword just a subjective reference to the Broad Street Bullies moniker associated with Stanley Cups half a century ago? Photo by Colin Newby | BBGI Philadelphia The Bullies put the franchise on the map with vicious brawls and intimidation tactics. However, they shaped the identity of the franchise differently. Jeff Marek of SportsNet shared a story about Dave Schultz’s initial reactions to media criticism of a Flyers team painted as the NHL’s villains ruining the sport of hockey in the 1970s. Schultz didn’t appreciate the harsh label, and he approached his head coach about the problem. Fred Shero spoke with his famed enforcer about the only way to avoid criticism. Say Nothing. Do Nothing. Be Nothing. The Flyers began to welcome hate from the rest of the NHL. Ed Snider welcomed the spotlight at every turn (for better or for worse). The organization’s bias for action pushed them to make arguably the biggest blockbuster in NHL history to land Eric Lindros in 1992. It drove continuous aggressive spending in free agency, a chaotic revolving door of head coaches, and the identity of an organization who loved landing at the top of the headlines. Whether you loved them or hated them, you still talked about the Flyers. Things changed. The Flyers struggled to adjust to changes during the salary cap era after 2005. Their aggressive nature caught up to them. Snider passed away in 2016 with an incredible legacy behind him. What’s possibly more surprising than the recent lack of success on the ice? The Flyers slipped into a position of irrelevance they never thought they’d be in. Matvei Michkov The Flyers have reignited their fan base with Matvei Michkov Mania. The Russian winger has already drawn comparisons to Nikita Kucherov. Briere and Jones have lauded his skill. “He’s different in a great way. There’s the potential for him to be an incredibly important player for our team and in the league... He’s an extremely hard-working player, loves hockey, wants to be on the ice all the time. You would think that’s an intangible that most players have, but that’s not always the case. The great ones do. Hopefully, we’re talking about him as one of the great ones.” -Keith Jones on 97.5 The Fanatic Most importantly, they've boldly taken action with the attitude they want to maintain on their way back to Stanley Cup contention. The Flyers want to regain their prominence as an iconic NHL brand, and they remembered that they didn’t build that reputation in the first place with conventional thinking. Danny Briere has made it clear he’s not willing to sit out and allow the rest of the NHL to steal the headlines while the Flyers gain their footing. A successful rebuild will require risks like the one that seems to be paying off sooner than anyone expected. Things won’t roll smoothly at every turn for Michkov and the Flyers. They never will for rebuilding organizations or for 19-year-olds in the NHL. The Flyers also still face serious cap restrictions, goaltending question marks, and unproven depth throughout the roster. “There’s going to be some ups and downs, even with Matvei Michkov. It’s going to be a tough season, I think, for him. He’s got a lot to learn. Just the culture, first of all, the language… There’s high expectations on him, obviously, but it could be a very rocky season. We have a lot of guys who are still maturing, still getting better." -Danny Briere on 97.5 The Fanatic However, bringing in Matvei Michkov breathed life into an organization and a fan base that desperately needed it. Download the 97.5 The Fanatic app to hear Tim Saunders and Todd Fedoruk on the flagship radio broadcast of the Philadelphia Flyers.