An admission from Tocchet ahead of Year 2 with the Flyers.
In a year that ended up being a complete and utter rollercoaster, the one Philadelphia Flyers story that took on a life of its own throughout the season was Matvei Michkov, his fitness level, and ice time under Rick Tocchet, his second full-time head coach in as many seasons.
Things came to a head after Michkov, 21, had played a season-low 10:21 in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and Tocchet was subsequently asked about his usage of the player at the Flyers Charities Carnival the following day.
That's when Tocchet bluntly put it out there, on the heels of a 2-6-2 skid going into February, that Michkov came into training camp out of shape and, well, the rest is history. That dominated the rest of the season, playoffs included, for better or for worse.
It goes without saying that the Flyers need Michkov to continue to develop and become a star if this rebuild is going to go anywhere, and Tocchet, barring something truly unfathomable, will be the coach in Philadelphia tasked with getting him there.
In a new interview, the Flyers' bench boss shared that, if he could do it over again today, he would take back his comments on Michkov at the Carnival.
"I think it’s a learning lesson for both of us. I think the relationship has been overblown, and I think he’s talked about it. In saying that, in February, I was frustrated. I should have probably kept the remarks about him being out of shape — I had already said it four times; I don’t think I needed to say it a fifth time. As any coach, you learn a lesson. So, I would take that back," Tocchet told The Athletic's Kevin Kurz in a recent Q&A.
"I don’t want to speak for him, but I think he really learned a lot. I think he enjoyed talking to the coaches. And I think that he’s learned a lot from last year. Saying that, he still played some really good games for us. It’s not like he was horrible.
"He has high expectations for himself. I really want to help him right from the gate, and really get him in a situation to be comfortable on the ice. I want him to be creative. I want him to come in my office and (ask), ‘What do you think about this?’ But there are still some non-negotiables. We have to have them as a coach. But I’d be crazy not to let him be creative or take a guy one-on-one, or make plays off the rush. That’s his gift. I want him to do that. I think he’s done (the work) this summer to prepare himself for that."
Michkov recently returned from his offseason escapades and training back home in Russia ahead of the start of training camp, which, for veterans, opens in just under two weeks on Sept. 17.
Clearly, Tocchet has seen, or at least gotten the impression, of the amount of work Michkov had done training this summer, be it reports from the coach the Flyers assigned to work with the young winger or from the videos and posts of him training with Artemi Panarin and other NHLers.
Of course, Tocchet was certain to allude to playing a team game, placing a greater emphasis on taking care of the puck, and playing sound defense, which can be weaknesses for Michkov.
Tocchet also knows that the Flyers had the 32nd-ranked power play last year once again, and they finished the 2025-26 regular season at a middling 21st in the NHL in goals per game.
Michkov is an important part of that equation, and it is now up to the player, Tocchet, and the rest of the coaching staff to reassess and figure it out for good going forward.
