A growing wave of trade requests around the NHL is drawing pushback, and former Flyers defenseman Erik Johnson isn’t trying to soften his view.
Johnson, who played more than 1,000 games in the league, took a firm stance while the sport continues to deal with the fallout from Matvei Michkov drama and other star-driven controversies. Since the 2026 Winter Olympics, more players have asked to move on from their teams, and the list has already produced major shakeups.
Former Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was dealt to Florida. Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck wound up in New Jersey after holding out into the 2026-27 regular season. Dylan Larkin is still waiting for his situation to play out.
Johnson’s criticism comes from experience. Nine years ago, when he was in the middle of his playing prime, Avalanche forward Matt Duchene asked for a trade out of Colorado. Johnson said the team’s core players wanted the front office to act.
"The core guys of the team, Gabe Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, we went to [Avalanche GM] Joe Sakic, we said, 'Get him out of here. We want to be a part of the Avs, we want to be a part of the solution.' We ended up being rewarded for that [with a Stanley Cup]," Johnson noted.
Colorado eventually moved Duchene to Ottawa in a three-team deal, and the Avalanche received a 2018 first-round pick that later became Bowen Byram.
Johnson drew a sharp line between that kind of situation and players who want out after signing long-term deals.
"Now, Dylan Larkin, I can't stand these guys halfway through their contracts that they signed in good faith with their team now bailing ship and wanting to go for greener pastures," said Johnson. "As a former player, I don't like these guys abandoning their teams mid-season, mid-contract."
In Philadelphia, Michkov is in the final year of his entry-level contract, and despite the noise around him, the Flyers have denied reports that he wants to play elsewhere.
If the situation ever turns into a trade discussion, Michkov’s pending free-agent status would matter for interested teams. At the same time, reports have suggested the Flyers are unhappy with the play of several veteran players, including Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Travis Sanheim, and Christian Dvorak. All four have full trade protection, while Owen Tippett has a 10-team no-trade list.
That leaves Philadelphia with a situation that could get more complicated as the weeks and months go on, right as the NHL’s trade-request era keeps getting louder. Johnson’s message, though, was already clear.
In Other News...
Flyers Just Turned Up The Pressure On Rick Tocchet
The Flyers are suddenly dealing with more than just the usual early-season scrutiny, because Danny Briere has now publicly weighed in on the noise surrounding Matvei Michkov and his reported desire to leave the team. Brieres comments also put a spotlight on the relationship between Michkov and Rick Tocchet, a pairing that has become part of the larger conversation around where this season is headed and how quickly the organization expects progress.
For Tocchet, the message from the front office sounds a lot like a challenge and a deadline rolled into one. Briere made clear he expects the coach to find answers and get the team moving in the right direction, which is the kind of public pressure that tends to follow a team when results are lagging. Even without anything being spelled out, the tone of those remarks suggests the Flyers are watching closely, and Tocchets margin for patience may not be as wide as it once seemed. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Could Hand Mat Barzal The Finisher Hes Been Missing
Matvei Michkovs name has quickly become part of the bigger conversation around the Flyers uneven start, and not just because of what he can do on the ice. Philadelphia has already dealt with a rough opening to the season and growing scrutiny around Rick Tocchet, and now the 2023 seventh overall pick is being discussed in a far more uneasy context, with reports suggesting uncertainty about whether he wants to keep his career going in Philadelphia. For a team that drafted him as a cornerstone talent, that kind of noise only adds to the pressure around everything else going on.
The Islanders, meanwhile, have been floated as a possible landing spot in the kind of speculative scenario that gets attention because of fit as much as talent. Michkovs skill set would naturally invite questions about how he would mesh with New Yorks roster and coaching structure, especially if the Flyers decide his situation has become too complicated to manage. For now, it remains a possibility rather than a move, but it is the sort of storyline that can linger when a young player, a frustrated team and a division rival all enter the same conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Have Two Personnel Developments Fans Will Want To Watch
Noel Acciari was back in full practice participation after an upper-body injury, a welcome development for a Flyers group that has been managing its share of bumps and bruises. For a team trying to keep its forward depth intact, getting a veteran role player back on the ice is the kind of update that matters even before the lineup card is finalized.
There was also a notable off-ice development for the organization, with prospect Brek Liske committing to the University of Wisconsin for next season. For the Flyers, it adds another name to keep track of in the pipeline, while the broader injury picture around the league continues to shift with several players nearing returns and others still working back from longer-term issues. [Read more 🡒]