Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov has yet to play an NHL game, but his plethora of elite skills has Philly stoked over what's to come.
Anyone who has instantly regretted the several hours of their life they’re never getting back after watching an endless loop of cat videos or conspiracy theories – and you know who you are because you’re all of us – can give a TED Talk on the potential dangers of social media. But, man, there are times when it comes in handy, and we’re not just talking about how you can become an expert on everything from laying patio stones to how to make a great instructional video with the click of a mouse.
It’s hard to imagine just how the hockey world would have kept up with the exploits of the best prospect in the world without it. You see the name in the trending column, and you simply can’t help it. Watch Matvei Michkov attempt the Michigan. Watch Matvei Michkov take an alley-oop pass from his goalie and score on a breakaway. Watch Matvei Michkov block two shots in the dying minutes of a one-goal game. (‘Torts’ is gonna love that, eh?) Watch Matvei Michkov get yelled at by his coach. Watch Matvei Michkov playfully wave at an opposing goalie after scoring on him. Better not try that in the NHL, young man.
A total of 5,381 miles separate the Philadelphia Flyers from Michkov, so they’ve agreed to do the long-distance thing because neither of them has any choice in the matter. So, the Flyers and their fans have to be content that Michkov is developing as he should. They look at the numbers, which are as good or better in the KHL than any of the stars who are playing in North America now, and they’re encouraged. They hear rumors that the Russian president might try to pass a law that would keep all the best players at home indefinitely, and they begin to get worried. Then, they see a Russian television reporter asking Michkov directly whether he would leave Russia early, only to hear him respond, “Honestly, I’m not ready to answer these questions yet because I don’t know. Yes, I have a valid contract (with St. Petersburg of the KHL). Therefore, all its requirements must be observed,” and they somehow get their hopes up because he didn’t definitely say there was no possibility he might leave. Get used to it. Those who know best, namely Michkov’s advisors and the Flyers, try not to get caught up in any of the hysteria.
In a perfect world, Russia would not be two years into its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Michkov would not be under contract for two more years after this season and playing for Sochi, one of the weakest teams in the KHL. The Flyers would be able to send their scouts and development people to watch him play and work with him. At the very least, Michkov would be playing in the World Championship in the spring, if only the Russians weren’t suspended. But this is not a perfect world. GM Daniel Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers knew all of that when Michkov fell into their laps seventh overall in the 2023 NHL draft, but the fact they know they can’t have him makes it all the more tantalizing.
“We see a high-end talent,” Briere said. “We see a player who can make a difference at any moment in the game. We see an electrifying player who is so creative that he really gets us excited. I’m not going to lie about that.”
He gets a lot of people excited. In fact, Michkov is rated as the top prospect by our panel of scouts and directors of player personnel. In the 30 years The Hockey News has been ranking prospects in our annual Future Watch edition, no skater has been the No. 1 prospect more than once. But Michkov may very well end up the top player outside the NHL next season – and perhaps even the season after that.
Under normal circumstances, when a team drafts a player, a pep talk or check-in is no more than a quick phone call away. A trip from the GM or development staff to check on his progress is as easy as jumping on a flight. But the circumstances surrounding Michkov continue to make him a man of mystery. When Briere and the Flyers want to communicate with him, it’s the modern-day equivalent of grabbing a hammer and a chisel. It’s usually done through his North American representatives, Maxim Moliver and Rick Komarow, and Briere employs text messages and Google Translate. It’s not ideal, but Briere knows he has to play the long game here. The Flyers are more competitive this season than anyone thought they would be, but this is a management team that has bought itself a honeymoon period and intends to use it. And in a strange way, it might all fall the Flyers’ way in the end. Even if they ride their underdog status to a playoff spot, they’re still years from seriously contending. By the time Michkov arrives, presumably in the fall of 2026, he’ll be a fully developed 21-year-old star, ready to join a lineup that is primed to contend.
“If something ever changed by any luck and it somehow happened that he shows up at our door, we would be ecstatic,” Briere said. “But we’re going in with the mindset that he’s got two more years on his contract, and we’re respecting that. And he’s just going to be even more ready, we feel. He’s playing in a really good league, and he’s playing well. He’s developing.”
This is an excerpt from Ken Campbell's major feature story in The Hockey News' Future Watch edition, which focuses on Matvei Michkov's journey to hockey's top league.
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