Flyers Prospect Caps Off Tough Month

After an impressive stretch in the KHL, January has been rocky for one of the Flyers' most anticipated prospects.

Matvei Michkov has been a prospect that Flyers fans have been extremely excited about since he was drafted seventh overall in 2023, even though he likely won't be able to actually come to the Flyers until 2026 because of his current KHL contract.

His 2023-24 season, playing for HC Sochi, got off to a great start. Across 38 games, he's recorded 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) and has displayed some truly impressive abilities. With Cutter Gauthier, fans have put their hopes on Michkov to be the Flyers' superstar draft pick, and, by all means, he's been able to live up to those expectations. 

However, January has been a bit of a rough month for Michkov.

For starters, he was out for an extended period with pneumonia, and although he's been cleared to play, it's likely he's still dealing with some after-effects of the illness. 

His offensive production hasn't been quite where fans have been used to seeing it, and it's now affecting his presence in games overall. 

After going minus four, he was benched during his most recent game against Kunlun Red Star, having just over 11 minutes of ice time, and was reported to be "healthy scratched" for HC Sochi's Jan. 31 matchup against Dinamo Mn. 

Despite his production slowing down a bit, it's not looking like fans should be too concerned about the trajectory of Michkov's development. 

Per Philly Hockey Now's Jon Bailey, the reason behind Michkov's benching is likely due to deviation from the style of play expected from HC Sochi's head coach—nothing more serious or concerning—saying, "Sochi head coach Dmitri Kokorev has stressed the importance of playing responsibly and not bailing on the defensive zone to cheat for offense. Michkov clearly ran afoul of his coach's wishes."

Once he adjusts that style of play and starts fully recovering from his nearly three-month bout with pneumonia, Michkov should be back to his old self in no time. 

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