Matvei Michkov’s Defensive Struggles Are Real - But So Is His Talent. The Flyers Need to Let Him Play Through It
Matvei Michkov isn’t a finished product. That much is obvious.
The 21-year-old winger has shown flashes of brilliance in the offensive zone, but when it comes to the defensive side of the puck, there’s still plenty of work to be done. And that’s okay - because that’s what this stage of the rebuild is for.
A recent video breakdown of Michkov’s last five games highlighted some of the defensive lapses that have been part of his game since his KHL days. Floating too high in the defensive zone, missing assignments, cheating for offense - it’s all there on tape.
But none of it should come as a surprise. The Flyers knew what they were getting when they drafted him.
He didn’t suddenly morph into a different player the moment he landed in Philadelphia. This is who he is right now: a dynamic offensive talent with holes in his two-way game.
And that’s not a knock. It's just the reality of a young, offensively gifted forward trying to adjust to the demands of the NHL.
Plenty of stars have had similar tendencies early in their careers. Alexander Ovechkin used to float around in the defensive zone.
Pavel Bure, Patrick Kane, Nikita Kucherov - they all had moments where defense wasn’t exactly their calling card. The difference is, those guys were allowed to grow through it.
They were given the leash to make mistakes, learn from them, and evolve without being boxed into something they weren't.
That’s the tightrope the Flyers are walking with Michkov. How do you help him grow defensively without dulling the offensive edge that makes him special?
Turning him into a 200-foot grinder might clean up his plus-minus, but it also risks stripping away the very thing that makes him a potential franchise cornerstone. You can find defensively responsible bottom-six forwards.
You don’t find elite scorers with Michkov’s ceiling every day.
Former Flyers head coach John Tortorella seemed to understand that balance. Say what you will about Torts, but he had a knack for letting young offensive players play through their growing pains - as long as the effort was there.
Rick Tocchet, on the other hand, appears to be taking a more cautious approach. Whether it’s a matter of trust, conditioning, or just a philosophical difference, Michkov hasn’t been getting the kind of ice time that allows a player to truly develop.
And that’s the missed opportunity here. The Flyers aren’t contending for a Stanley Cup this season.
This is the rebuild. This is the time to give your young stars the runway to figure it out.
Let Michkov make his mistakes now, when the stakes are low, and learn from them in real time. That’s how you build something sustainable.
That’s how you turn potential into production.
There’s no question Michkov needs to tighten up his defensive game. But the answer isn’t to bury him on the bench or limit his minutes. The answer is to coach him through it, to trust in his talent, and to let him grow into the player the Flyers believed he could be when they drafted him.
The full 20-minute video breakdown is out there - and it’s worth a watch. Not because it proves Michkov is a liability, but because it shows exactly where the work needs to happen. And more importantly, it shows why the Flyers need to invest the time and patience to let it happen.