Matvei Michkov’s offseason has not gone the way some Flyers fans might have pictured, but the early signs are hard to argue with: he’s on the ice, he’s working, and he’s doing it with a familiar face рядом.
Michkov, 21, was recently seen skating at Perm’s new arena in his hometown, where Molot-Prikamye Perm gave him and other players full access to the ice. He wasn’t alone, either. Slava Kuznetsov, his de facto Flyers translator and an experienced skating coach, was there with him.
That matters for a player whose skating has been a talking point. Michkov is not a poor skater, but he isn’t fast, and he rarely creates separation with quick bursts in one-on-one situations. More time with Kuznetsov should help him chip away at that weakness while also building a stronger conditioning base.
The concern around Michkov has been real enough. He had a rough season by his standards, finishing with 20 goals, 31 assists and 51 points, and his ice time dropped from his rookie year. His fitness level was questioned at different points during the season, and after leading the Flyers in scoring following the Olympic break, he again hit a wall in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Still, the video from Russia offers a pretty clear answer to the skeptics: he is taking the offseason seriously.
Some fans have wondered whether spending so much of the summer back home means he isn’t doing enough. The footage suggests otherwise, especially with Kuznetsov involved in the work.
And there’s another reason Michkov may be pushing even harder. The Flyers offer sheeted Leo Carlsson in an effort to land him a true No. 1 center for the next decade.
Training camp is still two months away, which gives Michkov plenty of time to keep building toward what the Flyers hope will be a monster third NHL season.
In Other News...
Flyers Nearly Landed The Franchise Scorer Fans Have Been Begging For
The Flyers have spent plenty of time trying to find the kind of elite scorer who can change the shape of a roster, and their front office has not been shy about swinging big when the opportunity looks right. That appetite showed up again in a recent report that Philadelphia was prepared to chase one of the leagues premier wingers if he ever became available, a pursuit that would have fit right into the organizations broader push to add top-end talent.
Instead, the market never opened the way the Flyers hoped, and the club moved on to another aggressive route by making an offer sheet to Leo Carlsson. It is another reminder that management, including assistant general manager Brent Flahr, is willing to be bold when it believes the payoff could be franchise-altering, even if the bigger prize slips away before the bidding ever really begins. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Are Stuck In A Franchise Shaping Wait With Anaheim
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There are still four days left for Anaheim to decide whether to match, which keeps the Flyers in limbo while the Ducks sort through their own business. Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras have already filed for arbitration, adding another layer of offseason pressure for Anaheim, and for the Flyers the whole situation remains tied to a franchise-defining outcome that could shape how aggressively they can keep pushing this summer. [Read more 🡒]
Matvei Michkov Looks Determined To Change The Flyers Conversation
Matvei Michkovs second season in Philadelphia was a reminder that even elite talent can get knocked off course when health and preparation are disrupted. An injury limited the way he could train last summer, and the result was a tougher year than the Flyers expected from a player who arrived with so much offensive promise.
This offseason, Michkov has gone back to work in Perm, Russia, leaning into weightlifting and on-ice sessions as he tries to reset for the year ahead. He is also slated to take part in the NHL-KHL Match of the Year charity game, another sign that he is staying active and pushing toward a cleaner, more complete preparation for the next Flyers season. [Read more 🡒]