After a very promising rookie season, year two in the NHL didn’t go the way Matvei Michkov and the Philadelphia Flyers would have envisioned it.
The young star winger saw his production drop in every statistical category, including ice time, which ultimately culminated in him being a healthy scratch twice during the Flyers’ recent playoff run.
All of that has already raised major questions around Michkov’s future in Philadelphia, and he spoke about the journey that was his 2025-26 season on Tuesday. Team reporter Ashlyn Sullivan shared the key details in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“Takeaways from Matvei Michkov’s press conference – – Expressed frustration with the way he played in the playoffs. Said he saw a lot of kids wearing his jersey and was ashamed he couldn’t score. – Multiple times mentioned he wants to play next year like he did after the Olympic break this season. He wants to come back even better. – Spoke about how much playing with Noah Cates helped his game. – Seems to be confusion on his end on what the organization wants to see from him – he is meeting with management on Thursday,”
The 21-year-old Michkov was limited to just one point (one assist) in eight games this postseason after tallying 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) during the regular season.
Development isn’t always linear, and that was on display with Michkov this year. New head coach Rick Tocchet clearly didn’t trust the youngster at times, and given his end-of-season comments, the two will need to hash things out heading into the summer in order to get on the same page moving forward.
It would be silly for the Flyers to already give up on such a talent, and as Elliotte Friedman recently said, it’s often easier to solve your problem than trade your problem.
Next: Growing Concern Over Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Lack of Power
