Now that it’s been made official that Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov is coming to the NHL two years earlier than expected, let’s do a quick rundown, Q-and-A style, about what it means for the organization, both short term and long term.
Who is Matvei Michkov?
When Michkov makes his NHL debut, which almost certainly will be in the Flyers’ first game of the 2024-25 season, he will be arguably the organization’s most hyped rookie since a teenaged Eric Lindros took to the Spectrum ice in 1992. When the Flyers drafted him last June, Michkov was ranked by their scouts as the NHL’s second-ranked prospect behind only Chicago’s Connor Bedard, who wowed the league in his rookie season with 61 points in 68 games.
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The Athletic’s prospect/draft experts Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler both have touched on Michkov’s potential in recent weeks.
“He has elite skill and elite intelligence,” Pronman wrote in May. “He is outstanding with the puck on his stick inside the offensive zone. He operates at a different level than everybody else. It’s why there were some NHL teams who, even up until the end of the draft last year, thought there was at least a conversation about him and Connor Bedard for No. 1 overall, because this guy has incredible offensive traits.”
Wheeler listed Michkov as the No. 1 drafted prospect in his rankings in March.
“The player’s brilliance comes primarily from his ability to make his decisions quickly and execute on them with incredible proficiency, whether that’s ripping a patterned shot (his one-timer, his standstill wrister, his curl-and-drag, etc.), a quick move into a pass, a sudden stop-up, an attacking cut, or the use of some ingenious spatial awareness and creativity,” Wheeler wrote.
The two concerns about Michkov are his size — he’s listed at 5-foot-10 and 172 pounds — and his speed, as he’s not an overly fast skater. He’s surely going to need some coaching when it comes to his two-way game, too. But, Michkov’s offensive instincts could prove to be world-class, even at the NHL level, if he develops properly.
How did the Flyers end up getting him?
It’s likely that some of the teams above the Flyers in the 2023 draft order were scared off by Michkov having three years left on his KHL contract at the time. The geopolitics related to Russia’s war in Ukraine likely added to that trepidation. The Flyers didn’t expect Michkov to arrive until 2026-27, and even that was uncertain. But they were comfortable with it based on their timeline to compete again.
Further, the 2023 draft was a deep one, particularly at the top. Michkov may not have been ranked higher than some of the players that ended up going before him on those teams’ internal draft lists, regardless of the Russia issues.
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We explored this further in this piece from Monday, including what went on in the two meetings Michkov had with Flyers brass leading up to the draft.
What are the next steps?
Michkov is permitted to sign a standard, three-year entry level contract with the Flyers shortly. The maximum he can earn is $950,000, per the NHL’s collective-bargaining agreement — $855,000 base with a $95,000 max signing bonus. But, the Flyers can load that up with bonuses, too. PuckPedia has a handy chart here if you’re curious of the specific numbers.
It’s unlikely that Michkov will make it to Philadelphia in time for the upcoming prospect development camp from July 2-6 at the team’s training facility. But, he should be in the area relatively soon after his contract is officially signed, according to Pierre LeBrun. Russian goalie Ivan Fedotov is also spending his summer in Philadelphia, which would give Michkov a fellow countryman to spent time with.
Where might he fit into the Flyers’ lineup?
Michkov is a right wing, and if Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster stay on the left wing (where they played most of last season), it stands to reason that the rookie could be in the top six on opening night, with Travis Konecny also on that side of the ice.
But he could also be a needed weapon for the Flyers’ power play, which has finished last in the NHL in each of the last two seasons. Coach John Tortorella spoke after the season about how the organization was going to rethink its power play over the summer, seeking input from different corners of the organization. Having Michkov on the man advantage could be where the rookie has the most impact, considering how truly awful that aspect of the Flyers’ game has been for a while now (of Michkov’s 19 goals in the KHL last season, four were on the power play).
Which Flyers players does Michkov’s arrival affect the most?
Looking at the depth chart on right wing, it’s safe to assume that Garnet Hathaway will occupy a spot on either the third or fourth line. That leaves Cam Atkinson and Bobby Brink.
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Atkinson is probably as good as gone. He didn’t score a goal in his final 23 games, and could get bought out as soon as Thursday, when the window opens for teams to do that — unless Daniel Briere gets creative and finds a way to move him, thereby getting his entire salary off the books by next summer. Brink is a pending restricted free agent who needs a new contract, but that shouldn’t be an issue.
If Konecny gets signed to an extension, as is still the likeliest outcome, the Flyers’ top-six wingers for the foreseeable future could be Konecny, Michkov, Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett. That’s a decent group to keep building around, as all of them have 30-plus goals per season potential.
How will this affect the Flyers’ timeline to contend?
Keith Jones addressed this hypothetical on June 5, when he said it “doesn’t affect it, because when we drafted him, the expectation was he would finish his contract.” There’s just too much dead money on the books next season and beyond, especially if they buy out Atkinson and/or others, for the Flyers to try and speed things up.
Further, the Flyers still look at the 2023, 2024 and 2025 drafts as being key to their rebuild. They want to utilize those assets as best they can to restock the system, or use them in hockey trades for young players. They’re simply not going to deal those picks for veterans, as teams that are attempting to win Stanley Cups often do.
Still, Jones admitted that “when (Michkov) arrives, our fan base is going to be pretty excited about getting a highly talented player that is different than what we have right now.” In other words, Michkov’s skill level in the offensive zone is something that was lacking on the Flyers’ roster last season, in which they finished 27th in goals-per game with 2.82. He could very well make them a better team.
Briere has already said a few times that he doesn’t expect the Flyers to be overly active in free agency when that opens on July 1. Now with Michkov in the mix, there’s an even stronger possibility that the Flyers won’t sign anyone. There just isn’t enough room, or cap space. Further, the Flyers want to maintain what they now view as a strong culture in their dressing room — something that’s even more important with a 19-year-old potential star who doesn’t speak strong English moving in.
That said, the Flyers are still going to be on the lookout for a young center, or perhaps a left-shot defenseman, if one becomes available for the right price in a hockey trade. Adding Michkov might not be the only headline-making transaction of the offseason.
(Photo of Matvei Michkov at the 2023 NHL Draft: John Russell / NHLI via Getty Images)