Flyers’ Michkov: The Subject of Praise and Criticism

Observations, even if they contradict, can be simultaneously correct.

Matvei Michkov, the ‘Rookie of the Month’ in the NHL for October, earned that distinction. In 11GP, Michkov has nine points (4G, 5A). On the Philadelphia Flyers (4-6-1), Michkov is second in points, tied for first in powerplay goals (3) with Travis Konecny, and overall, leads the 15th-ranked powerplay with six points (3G, 3A).

In large, Michkov is who the Flyers thought he would be. He is an offensive threat, highly proficient on the powerplay early in his NHL career.

But, the ‘Rookie of the Month’ honor does not tell the entire story. Michkov is keeping up with his competition for the Calder Trophy, like Logan Stankoven, and probably wants another opportunity to go head-to-head with Lane Hutson. For now, Michkov is second in the Calder Trophy race, meaning Stankoven could have a real case to be Rookie of the Month, but the NHL decided. If Michkov wants to get back to the pinnacle of the Calder Trophy race and be the undisputed top newcomer in the NHL, he does need to find another gear.

5v5

John Tortorella changed his lines often to begin the season. Recently, there has been some forward stability.

Earlier this season, Tortorella did not plan to move Konecny from RW. He knew he wanted Konecny and Michkov on the same line because he saw the chemistry between the two skaters, but the problem was they both excelled at the same position. Additionally, there are reservations about taking a rookie with superstar potential and misplacing him in the lineup.

Then, Tortorella placed Konecny at LW, moving Michkov to the top line, and Sean Couturier supported the role as the top C versus the Minnesota Wild, and it worked.

“I’m just going to put him [Konecny] there. Sometimes, you just have to put him there because I like that chemistry. I’ve used Tip [Tippett] and Mich [Michkov] quite a bit to see if something would work, and it hasn’t. Tip sometimes has good chemistry with Frosty [Frost]. I tried all three of those together, then I tried two of them together. It just hasn’t worked right now, and a lot of it is you try to see if it works when a number of guys are struggling, it’s hard to figure out who’s going to be who.” – John Tortorella; 10/25/2024

The result was a home victory and an offensive explosion. Philadelphia scored seven goals, a team high on the season, handing the Wild their first regulation loss. Couturier (3G, 2A) and Konecny (1G, 4A) each tallied five points, and Michkov (1G, 1A) pocketed a couple. Each of those points for Michkov came at even strength, and since then, he has been on a three-game point drought.

Of course, there is room for improvement. Despite all of the hype that came along with Michkov, there is a learning curve in the NHL. Tortorella will coach him through those struggling times and allow Michkov to make mistakes. Last night, in a victory versus the St. Louis Blues, Michkov stayed on the bench for a shift. After the coaching moment, Michkov was notably more engaged with the puck on offensive zone entries, on the attack with possession, and without the puck, getting into shooting lanes.

Stankoven (52.5%CF, 6A) is a better skater at even strength than Michkov (49.3%CF, 1G, 2A), which will eventually separate the two forwards in the chase for the Calder Trophy. Also, during this three-game point drought from Michkov, Hutson won the head-to-head battle with the spotlight on both rookies.

It is too early to have genuine concerns regarding how Michkov will adapt to the NHL at even strength. No one doubts that Michkov will flip the switch. He does have the skill set and vision to create a very positive change of pace for the Flyers. For that to happen, he must make the right play instead of the more skillful play more often. Michkov can be a virtuoso with the puck, but puck protection is not a strong suit in 11GP.

Michkov leads Philadelphia in turnovers (3TK:18GV). The next closest forward in that department is Joel Farabee (5TK:10GV), and Tortorella publicly said Farabee needs more minutes while challenging him to play better.

“I just met with Beezer [Farabee]. I got to find him some ice time. He’s the one that has lost out after a penalty kill, and it takes a full round of lines to get them back together, meanwhile Beezer’s picking his nose on the bench, playing nine minutes the other night. I don’t think he’s playing that well, but I got to find him some ice time to give him a chance.” – John Tortorella; 10/25/2024

There is room to praise Michkov but considerable room for criticism, too.

Hartnell’s Comments

Scott Hartnell commented less about Michkov and his overall approach to even-strength hockey after Philadelphia shut out the Boston Bruins, focusing more on ‘the Michigan,’ and how it was against defenses and goaltenders. To defend Hartnell, Michkov tried the maneuver a couple of times versus the Montréal Canadiens, and on video, Michkov made Hutson look incredible as he blew up the attempt.

Previously, Tortorella was very outspoken about lacrosse-style scoring plays. Hartnell did not hold back with his opinion, either:

“I don’t even want to comment on it, but I will. It is my job, but I don’t know, stupid is the right word, maybe? Risky? Yeah, I guess that. There’s a time and place for that. We saw it last game [vs. Canadiens] where there’s a chance to pass to Konecny right in the middle of the slot. He’s trying to do his fancy move. That one [at Bruins] if he goes around the net, he can bump pass to a defenseman; [the] point shot guy is heading to the net. Instead of feeding your teammates, Al [Morganti], it’s ‘look at me, I can do this at full speed,’ which is cool, but has it worked yet?” – Scott Hartnell; 10/29/2024

Al Morganti and Ashlyn Sullivan had a softer tone regarding the situation, but the point stands from Hartnell. Morganti alluded that Tortorella, to his knowledge, has not said a word about Michkov attempting ‘the Michigan,’ but Hartnell added, ‘or he’s [Tortorella] told him, but Michkov can’t understand.’

If there is a communication error, that is a different issue. Hartnell, a former NHL player for 17 seasons, added additional insight on what he believes his teammates should be articulating:

“If that was me in the slot and someone is trying to do that, and you’re right there in a close game, and you’re trying that stuff, you have to tell him [Michkov]. It’s a team game, you can’t be doing this fancy stuff, but hey, he’s a special player. He’s going to have a lot more leash, like we’ve talked about; more than other guys. When it does work, if it does work this year, we’re going to be hooting and hollering about that.” – Scott Hartnell; 10/29/2024

As unpopular as it sounds, Hartnell is right. In the last few games, Michkov discounts his creativity by overusing ‘the Michigan’ as a scoring technique. It has not worked, and the more that defenses and goaltenders see it, they will expect it. He tried it twice versus the Canadiens and once against the Bruins in back-to-back games to no success. Tortorella pulled on the leash versus the Blues, and soon after, Michkov was back on focus.

Philadelphia wants Michkov to use his creativity and offensive acumen to his fullest potential. When he does, the defenses second-guess his every move, unlocking the floodgates for Michkov at the NHL level.