When the Flyers selected Matvei Michkov with the No. 7 overall pick in last year's draft, the pick was made with the assumption that he would not be able to join the team until the 2025-25 season. However, new rumors and interviews are hinting at a potential early arrival for the star prospect.
When the Flyers selected Matvei Michkov with the No. 7 overall pick in last year's draft, the pick was made with the assumption that he would not be able to join the team until the 2025-25 season. However, new rumors and interviews are hinting at a potential early arrival for the star prospect.
Before the 2023 NHL draft, much of the talk around Russian super prospect Matvei Michkov was that he was a less attractive option for many teams because of his KHL contract.
This ensured he would be a non-option for his NHL club until his contract with SKA St. Petersburg finishes at the end of the 2025-26 season.
The Philadelphia Flyers understood where they were in their rebuild and selected Michkov with the No. 7 overall pick. They had the runway to wait for him as they began rebuilding.
A year later, reports out of Russia from SportExpress suggest the contract could be voided, which would allow Michkov to join the Flyers as soon as this upcoming NHL season. It would be a dream come true as the Flyers outperformed expectations, and they could be looking to inject some talent sooner than expected.
It’s a complicated situation for various reasons. Michkov’s relationship with SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg has been tense, to say the least.
Rotenberg has been hesitant to play Michkov, giving him minutes in just four games with SKA since he became the coach. In those four games, Michkov averaged about three-and-a-half minutes, which is basically negligible when it comes to being able to make an impact.
That led to Michkov being loaned to Sochi HC, a different team in the KHL. There, he put up very impressive numbers on a squad that was consistently near the bottom of the standings. Michkov notched 61 points in 74 games with Sochi over the last two seasons.
Rotenberg seemingly confirmed the possibility that Michkov’s deal will be voided in a recent interview on MatchTV, a Russian sports media television channel.
“There is officially no solution. And you can’t say that we are letting someone go,” Rotenberg explained, translated from Russian. “We have invested a lot in Matvei. And if he does not become the player for Philadelphia, then we will definitely wait for him back to the KHL.”
SKA chairman Alexander Medvedev brought the possibility to light in late April in a separate interview with MatchTV.
“I think it’s better to leave like Ovechkin or Panarin. When you have already established yourself in Russia, and you are not going to North America to go back and forth in the NHL and the AHL,” Medvedev explained, translated from Russian.
He went on to explain that the move may be more about allowing Michkov to cope with the loss of his father last year.
“We must not forget that Matvei survived a terrible tragedy, losing his father, who was also a mentor to him, being around all the time. It’s hard to play psychologically, be it Sochi or Moscow, where everything reminds him of this loss. Maybe a change of scenery will make it easier to adapt.”
The Flyers can’t comment on the situation at this time because the contract with SKA is still valid, which puts them in an awkward predicament. They are in the process of finding out all of the details of the current situation but would be ecstatic to have the chance to work out an entry-level contract with their top prospect.
While there is still quite a bit to work through when it comes to Michkov coming to North America early, having him in the lineup next season would give the Flyers an offensive difference-maker to build around. He would immediately become one of their most dangerous offensive players and provide an injection of skill that any rebuilding team needs.
The Flyers have some good players on the wing but Michkov’s scoring and offensive creation ability far exceed anything that those players possess. His shot is already good enough to challenge 30 goals in the NHL next season which would set him up to be the favorite for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year next season.
Travis Konecny is the team’s top right winger at the moment and while he is a very good player and could remain on the top line, Michkov’s path to top-six playing time is fairly clear. Finding room on the team’s top powerplay would be a no-brainer as well. If Michkov is playing in Philly next season, he shouldn’t have any issue finding ice time.
Michkov’s move to North America isn’t a sure thing as of yet but SportExpress is a credible outlet in Russia and with Rotenberg and Medvedev both acknowledging the possibility, there is a real chance that it happens.
There will be players who were drafted around him that may ultimately take just as long as it would have taken for Michkov had his entire contract played out in the KHL. Now with the possibility of getting Michkov over early, there will be teams kicking themselves for passing over the potential star offensive talent because of a contract issue.
As for Philly, they are hoping this all works out because getting Michkov early would be a massive win for the front office who took a big swing at last year’s draft.