Matvei Michkov wasn’t supposed to be here for another two seasons. The way the world is going it could’ve been speculated he wasn’t getting across to North America for years to come. Yet there was the Mad Russian last summer, with Danny Briere and Keith Jones waiting for him with bated breath as one of the cornerstones of the Flyers future success crossed the big pond and landed safely. He didn’t know much English. He did want to win and help the team achieve that.
This season has been a success for Michkov. He is back in the hunt for the Calder Trophy. Macklin Celebrini has played fewer games, but Celebrini’s ice time overall is just over 30 minutes more so far (1044:39 for Celebrini compared to Michkov’s 1013:21). Michkov has 47 points in 63 games (20 goals, 27 assists) and has 15 points on the god awful power play. He has been doing great things. Yet, the one fly in seemingly everyone’s ointment is that he’s been scratched two games while sporadically not seeing the ice during a few other games.
One such game was the last one. On Sunday afternoon against New Jersey, the Devils opening goal saw Michkov take a longer route back towards his own zone, not able to make any defensive play and out of the loop. The goal was roughly halfway through the first but Michkov didn’t see any ice the rest of the period, ending that period with 2:19 time on ice. Those loathing the fact a rookie 63 games into his career made a mistake and was being disciplined for it took to social media. Michkov should not be benched. If other players like Travis Sanheim make dumb mistakes, then why aren’t they riding the pine too? What is it with this idiotic coach? Get some new guy in there! Michkov can’t help the team sitting on the bench!
For those who believe Matvei Michkov is being some kind of poster child for Tortorella’s notorious benchings or healthy scratches, think again! There’s not enough bandwidth to address the players Tortorella has taken to task for their play. The Flyers alone have seen Sean Couturier, Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, and Bobby “get off the f–king ice” Brink among others find themselves in Tortorella’s crosshairs at one time or another. And I’m most likely forgetting a few. If you aren’t playing the way Tortorella wants you to play, you’re not getting the ice time, especially if you’re a player with skill or seemingly more to give.
Anyone also thinking Michkov is the only player in the NHL this season who has been in a similar situation should open their eyes. In November, Boston’s David Pastrnak was benched in the third period of a 2-0 win over Seattle. Pastrnak said he needed to be accountable. Two weeks ago San Jose’s Will Smith was benched for the second period of a 3-1 loss to Minnesota. In November, Vancouver’s J.T. Miller was benched for the last 14 minutes of play in a 5-3 loss to Nashville. Patrik Laine, Taylor Hall, Arber Xhekaj and Brad Marchand are just some of the players this 2024-25 season who have sat stretches due to poor play or making a crucial miscue. So anyone thinking Michkov is being singled out might be grasping a bit at straws.
In the two games he’s been benched during games (and the two-game stint where he was a healthy scratch) , Michkov hasn’t sulked, hasn’t gotten into a fist fight with anyone but might have muttered some great Russian barbs at Tortorella under his breath. He’s 20 years old, he is going to make mistakes. If you want him making the same mistakes when he’s three, four, or five years into his career, don’t expect much to change in terms of where this team could be heading. The fact Tortorella or the coaching staff can try to correct basic defensive mistakes while just letting him do his thing offesively has been the goal all season. He still gets ample power play time, isn’t playing fourth-line minutes with fourth-line talent, and has seen the ice both in three-on-three overtimes (including one recent game that saw him cheating up-ice for an extended amount of time). He was also deadly in a shootout against Winnipeg before the current malaise began.
If one wants to see how not correcting rookie mistakes can causes problems I present the Buffalo Sabres. They have had more than their fair share of high-end talent (Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart to name two who left and now have Stanley Cup rings elsewhere) but haven’t made the playoffs in ages. Despite the carousel of high picks and prospects, there seems to be no structure or accountability for their play. Just look at the Buffalo coaching changes since 2013: Lindy Ruff, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, Ralph Krueger, Don Granato, and now Ruff again! When Tortorella and Brad Shaw saw what holes were in Rasmus Ristolainen’s game when he arrived from Buffalo, they were surprised at the glaring errors he was making. It took time and patience, but Ristolainen has been decent, a far cry from his Buffalo days despite the drop in offensive production. Yet a much, much better defender.
But back to Michkov. He is new to the National Hockey League, the travel, the media spotlight and the language that is used throughout. He is going to make mistakes. He will probably be benched again this season which is bound to annoy people again given his talent and skill. None of these incidents have been for making a bad pass in the offensive zone, passing instead of shooting or vice versa, or trying to make a great play in the offensive zone. The miscues have been defensive, which according to long held beliefs by NHL coaches, are due to not getting back quickly or cheating up ice. To have the chance for Matvei Michkov to be a burgeoning NHL star at 22 or 23 while knowing how to play okay in his own zone is something nobody dreamed of when the Flyers selected him in 2023.
As much as some would want to exaggerate, Tortorella isn’t trying to make Michkov a Selke Trophy candidate or a league-leading shotblocker. He’s not glued to his opposing winger and trying to shadow him every shift. He’s not spending practices having Nick Seeler teach him how to throw himself in front of the puck. All Tortorella is trying to do is teach a player who has tremendous upside and seemingly elite skill a few of the finer points of not playing with the puck. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing to teach a 20-year-old rookie. Especially if you want a player of his talent level to blossom into something everyone rooting or associated with the Flyers are dreaming of. Nobody is going to remember the two-game benching or Sunday’s brief benching down the road when the games matter and the Flyers are hopefully heading towards divisional titles and far, far more. If you do, you probably need to get some fresh air.
