Michkov went ham in the gym all summer long ahead of Year 3 with the Flyers.
At this point, it has been well-document what transpired with Matvei Michkov and the Philadelphia Flyers last year, from the deployment woes to the out-of-shape comments from head coach Rick Tocchet.
Fortunately, it looks like those days are about to be put in the rearview mirror for good.
Throughout the summer, we have covered many of Michkov's escapades, including the Match of the Year in Russia, and some offseason training with superstar winger Artemi Panarin and a number of other Russian NHLers.
We also found that Michkov was at times training multiple times in a given day with the oversight of a Flyers coach.
That coach, in a recent interview filmed in Michkov's hometown of Perm, was revealed to be new Flyers performance development coach Lorne Goldenberg, who most notably spent nine years working in the NHL under legendary coach Jacques Martin.
In the same interview, Michkov revealed just how much weight he lost over the last year whilst training and what his measurements are looking like now.
Suffice it to say, the 21-year-old should look like an entirely different player heading into his third NHL season.
Michkov lost nearly 30 pounds this offseason
Andrei Nikolishin, Igor Dzhabrailov, and Denis Kazansky joined Michkov to film the "Michkov's Vacation" interview for Каникулы хоккеистов (Hockey Player's Holidays) and HOME OF HOCKEY, and during their meal together, Michkov offered specifics on his physical conditioning from the start of last season to where he is now.
"Last year I came in at 205 pounds, thought I was totally fine, in great shape. Turns out, life ain't that simple," Michkov said with a chuckle, via a translated clip from Uggg_uggg on X.
That number--93 kilograms--stunned the hosts, and it stunned the Flyers as well. Despite all that, the 2023 No. 7 overall pick still turned in a respectable 20-goal, 51-point campaign in a limited role.
Now, according to Michkov, the 93 kilograms has been shaved all the way down to 80, which comes to about 176 pounds. That's a number that plays better to his 5-foot-10 height.
Michkov says he can already feel the difference.
"Oh yeah, for sure. 100%," said Michkov. "I didn't really rest this summer at all. I just worked. Well, I did rest a little, obviously, but I was working at the same time."
The Flyers, of course, weren't thrilled with how things went last year, especially at the beginning of the year.
"Oleg Valeryevich (Oleg Znarok) looks at me, then at management," Michkov explains. "He walks up to them and says, 'Give me two months and he'll drop it all. Two months and it's gone.' He starts calming the front office down. I'm like, 'Alright, Oleg Valeryevich, we'll work on it.'"
Michkov also went on to share that Goldenberg arrived to join him in Perm in July to help him train.
Goldenberg, 64, announced on May 22 that he was hired by the Flyers to serve as their performance development coach, and a month and a half into the job, he was sent over to Russia to assist the franchise player.
Talk about a quick turnaround.
"We measured body fat together on an InBody," Michkov started. "Seryoga Ivanov was with us, too. Seryoga Ivanov is, like, pretty normal, you can't really tell he has a belly. He's lean. So we're on the InBody, and it shows 15 or 16% for him. I'm like, 'What the hell? What's mine going to show then?'
"I go, 'Goldie, you go first. Go.' He steps on, and it shows 16%. I'm thinking, 'What's mine going to be?' So I get on and I close my eyes. I stand there on an InBody and it says 'Weigh-in complete'. I open my eyes: 10.8%. I'm like, 'No way that's right. Let's measure again.' I didn't even believe it myself. I get back on, 10.6%.
"I'm thinking, 'How is that even possible?' And looking at me, you'd never tell," Michkov finished, rolling his shoulders forward in reference to his physique.
With the rollercoaster 2025-26 season behind us, Michkov is all but primed for a true breakout season with the Flyers, even after having already scored 63 points in his rookie year in 2024-25.
And in a contract year, both the Flyers and Michkov will need the best from each other going forward.
