Flyers receive some potentially troubling news about top prospect Matvei Michkov
As the draft had approached this summer, one of the most intriguing questions out there was, where would Matvei Michkov go in the draft? Long viewed as the 2nd best player in the draft, skill for skill, Michkov's contract status in the KHL was enough to dissuade teams into passing on him in favour of prospects who were a little closer to making the jump to the NHL. In all, 6 teams passed on Michkov, but Philadelphia wasn't about to pass on him with the 7th overall pick.
Despite the Flyers holding Michkov's NHL rights, they will have zero control over his development. This was one of the other reasons why teams were weary about selecting him. Now, we're seeing first hand why. While Michkov started off extremely strong during the preseason, he has since seen his ice time cut dramatically.
Michkov has logged just 8 minutes and 5 minutes of ice time over the course of his last two games, respectively. If that wasn't bad enough the young phenom found himself a healthy scratch in yesterday's game.
Michkov played fewer than 8 minutes two games ago, and fewer than five minutes last game, including just one shift in the second period after this turnover. He is not dressed for today's game. Having little control over development was one of the risks in drafting him.
Obviously, with a player who is as highly skilled as Michkov is, you have to imagine he'll be able to turn this all around once he gets into a groove. However, I'm sure it is certainly a concern in Philadelphia, knowing that Michkov's important developmental years are well outside of their realm of control.
| POLL | ||
When will Matvei Michkov make his NHL debut? | ||
| The Flyers will find a way to get him in 2024-25 | 37 | 35.9 % |
| Probably not until after the 2025-26 season | 37 | 35.9 % |
| It won't be until at least after 2027-28 | 29 | 28.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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