Matvei Michkov played a season-low 10:21 of ice time on Saturday, and coach Rick Tocchet told a Flyers podcast that the sophomore did not come into camp in shape. What's the way forward?
There is growing concern in Philadelphia, where recent comments made about sophomore Matvei Michkov have taken on a life of their own.
Speculation that he's in the doghouse increased this week when coach Rick Tocchet went on a podcast and suggested Michkov wasn't taking his conditioning seriously. Those comments came after Michkov played 10:21 of ice time on Saturday.
With Flyers president Keith Jones trying to ensure the coaching staff plays their young players and keeps the rebuild on track, there's an intensifying issue regarding their young right winger.
If the team cannot address this situation, get on the same page and move forward, things could get ugly. The player, coach and GM have ways to get on the right path before it's too late.
"So you think he should get (ice time) because he's earned it?... I'll be very frank – I'm a very frank guy, honestly I'll go down swinging – Matvei did not come into camp in shape," Tocchet told the PHLY Philadelphia Flyers Podcast. "It's hard to play yourself in shape. I have not told him or any other players, take a guy 1-on-1, come out of the corner with a puck on a rush, like make a play through a rush. He's having a tough time in those situations."
Tocchet said the Flyers are trying to get Michkov to that level.
"How to develop him, practice, making sure you're on time for treatments and things like that," added Tocchet, who clarified that he's talking in general, not about Matvei. "There's so much into that. The way you eat."
Jones also appeared on the podcast, but seemed to hold a somewhat conflicting view on how Michkov should be handled.
"It's important that we keep reminding them (the coaching staff) to play our young players and involve them in the process of getting better," Jones said. "I mean, that's the only way they do get better."
Things appear to be getting messy in Philadelphia, prompting analyst and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman to suggest on the 32 Thoughts podcast that GM Daniel Briere step in and publicly address the narrative.
If Michkov showed up out of shape to camp and late to treatments, that is a clear problem, although it's unclear whether it's still ongoing. However, Tocchet sounds like he's keeping that in mind when deciding how to use Michkov.
Friedman wondered if the Flyers needed to take a different approach, since Michkov is simply too important to the Flyers' long-term plans to allow tension to linger. He advised Briere to come out and address the concerns, but clear the slate moving forward. What's in the past is in the past, and it should only be a problem if Michkov repeats those mistakes.
As for Jones' focus on continuing the rebuild, developing the young players and giving them sufficient playing time, Tocchet will have to follow those instructions.
Tocchet has to be OK with Michkov learning as he goes, while getting enough ice time to improve. Winning 1-on-1 battles, making plays on the rush and battling in corners are mostly coachable tasks. Tocchet can't and won't stop trying to get Michkov to that level, but if he doesn't increase his ice time from an average of 14:32, that will be a problem. That's already more than two minutes less than last season's average.
Either the coach needs to get his message through while increasing the ice time, or a different change needs to be made. The Flyers seem to be siding with Michkov's development, for now.
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