Danny Briere Is 'Excited' For Matvei Michkov's Arrival; Sets Expectations For Flyers Debut
In a press conference on Monday, Philadelphia Flyers GM Danny Briere gave more details about the signing of highly-touted prospect Matvei Michkov to an entry-level contract, along with what the Flyers are expecting from him whenever he arrives stateside.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports - Danny Briere Is 'Excited' For Matvei Michkov's Arrival; Sets Expectations For Flyers DebutIn a press conference on Monday, Philadelphia Flyers GM Danny Briere gave more details about the signing of highly-touted prospect Matvei Michkov to an entry-level contract, along with what the Flyers are expecting from him whenever he arrives stateside.
"We're excited that he's finally coming," Briere said. "I think there was a lot of things that needed to happen in the background, but that was mostly for him and the team in Russia and his representatives. It was nice when we had the chance to start talking to his agent to finally get this deal done. We never thought when we drafted him last summer that it would result in him coming over a year later, so that's really exciting."
Although there were hopes that Michkov would be able to come to the U.S. for the Flyers' development camp, Briere said that he would not be able to make his way over in time for the camp, which takes place from July 2-6. Instead, they're aiming for him to be at the Flyers' senior training camp during preseason in September.
"As far as I know, [he'll arrive] for training camp because it's the next thing," he confirmed. "That would be his decision. We're waiting on more details for when he's coming over. I know there's a lot of logistics that need to be figured out, especially from his end, on immigration, for example, and when he gets over and trying to get acclimated here."
When Michkov does arrive in the U.S., he is expected to start out at the NHL level, but Briere made a point to remind people that, despite the astronomical amounts of hype he's been receiving, he will have to "earn his ice time" like any other playing breaking into the team.
He also reminded fans that the young forward will need an adjustment period when he starts his NHL career—even though he of course acknowledged Michkov's dazzling level of talent.
"We don't have anyone like him in the organization, as far as a player, as far as the skill level," he said. "He's got a lot to learn, and he's not going to be put above anybody else. But he's an exciting player and he's a very talented player.
"We've watched him on tape. It's exciting to see what he pulls off. At the same time, we have to be careful. We don't know how it's gonna work out. I think it's a little too early to say that, but he has special kills and is extremely talented. We hope that, down the road, it turns out to be. But let's be honest, that's not going to be the case this season or even the following season. Patience is the key here. It's gonna take a little bit of time."
And although there's been plenty of concerns raised over how Michkov will respond to head coach John Tortorella's coaching style, Briere put his full confidence behind Tortorella, saying that it will be extremely valuable for the young player to experience this way of coaching.
"That's one of the things I'm most excited about—the chance for Matvei to learn from a coach like Torts," he said. "I know he's going to coach him the right way, just like he does everybody else, and he's going to be tough on him, he's going to be fair, and he's going to teach him the right way. That's the best news out of all this—he's going to come here and nothing's going to be given to him, he has to earn it. Knowing how competitive we've been told he is, it's going to be great, it's going to be fun."
The Flyers will also be looking after him off the ice as well, making sure Michkov settles in as comfortably as possible while he gets used to a new league, new language, new country, and new culture—something Briere can personally relate to as well.
"We are gonna provide a tutor so he can start to speak English a little better," he stated. "He's not fluent. We're gonna work with him. I went through it—I barely knew any English when I started my first year pro, and I get the culture difference is a lot less coming from Quebec than coming from Russia, but players want to help. Having [fellow Russian players] Egor Zamula and Ivan Fedotov around as well will help as well."
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