There is no hiding the fact that the largest thing to look forward to when it comes to the Philadelphia Flyers is the day that top prospect Matvei Michkov is signed to a contract and is officially on the team’s roster. And that day might now come sooner than we all originally expected.
In a roughly translated interview with Russian outlet Match TV, SKA St. Petersburg chairman Alexander Medvedev did not rule out the possibility of Michkov coming to Philadelphia and the NHL as soon as next season.
Note: These quotes were translated by Google Translate. They could be incorrect.
“Unlike the situation with Ivan Fedotov, we are in contact with Philadelphia. The management of the Flyers does not even hide their desire for Matvey to come to them and try his hand at the NHL. But if you go early, you have to have a clause in the contract that if Philadelphia is tempted to send him to the AHL, he will be eligible to return. But it’s too early to talk about it, because legally Michkov is under contract with SKA. And Philadelphia sent us assurances that they would not violate any contractual rights.”
-Match TV
As the chairman mentioned in what could be a fairly bad translation, if there was an agreement set between the Flyers and SKA, for Michkov to come overseas this summer, there would have to be a rule set that if he doesn’t make the NHL team and if they even think of sending him down to the minors, that he returns to the KHL for the rest of the season. That is perfectly reasonable and has happened to numerous Russian prospects in the past, and considering that Michkov is already lighting the KHL on fire at his age and is only getting better, we could hope that he could make the Flyers out of any training camp.
Medvedev also had a thought of when Michkov should actually leave Russia and what could start the process of coming to North America before the two years on his KHL contract are up.
“I think it’s better to leave like Ovechkin or Panarin. When you’ve already established yourself in Russia, and you’re not going to North America to travel between the NHL and the AHL,” the SKA St. Petersburg chairman said. “We must not forget that Matvey experienced a terrible tragedy, having lost his father, who was also a mentor for him, being by his side all the time. It’s hard to play psychologically, whether it’s Sochi or Moscow, where everything reminds you of this loss. Maybe a change of scenery will make it easier to adapt.”
-Match TV
It sure sounds like, if we are to take Medvedev at his word, that he will leave the decision up to Michkov himself, at the end of the day.
“We understand that Matvey is a great talent. There is nothing to discuss. I think we’ll talk about all the options, first of all, with him. And we’ll also talk to Philadelphia executives, with whom we have a very good relationship. There is understanding, and you will be patient. I think that the decision on Michkov will be made no later than the end of June.”
-Match TV
We certainly do not want to get our hopes up, but there is nothing in what Medvedev reportedly said that could steer us away from being optimistic. Considering that the Flyers and SKA reportedly have a very good relationship and understanding of the situation, and they have set a broad timeline to discuss any possibility with the top prospect and what his options could be, all feel like a gigantic step in the direction that leads Michkov to making his NHL debut earlier than the first game of the 2026-27 season, like we all expected.
The Flyers’ summer just got way more interesting.
