Matvei Michkov is off to a strong start with the Philadelphia Flyers — healthy scratches and all. The rookie phenom is up to 12 points in 14 games after a two-point performance against fellow youngster Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks on Monday night.
Michkov showed some of his competitive edge in that one, even if it may have cost his team a two-minute penalty kill to begin overtime. Teams have been targeting the rookie all season long, and that continued on Monday night with Erik Johnson stepping in to fight Givani Smith after the two were dueling at the faceoff circle.
It was good to see Michkov bounce back from two healthy scratches to put up a goal, an assist, and a beautiful goal in the shootout in his return to the lineup.
John Tortorella healthy scratching Michkov is hardly surprising given his nature. That’s just what Tortorella is known to do to both rookies and veterans alike. But it may have been more than just a few rest days for the Russian.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had a few tidbits about Michkov and the Flyers in his latest 32 Thoughts column on Wednesday night.
First and foremost, Michkov’s competitiveness is off the charts.
Heard a great Matvei Michkov story. He was so mad at losing at table tennis to one of Philadelphia’s other Russians that he refused to talk to whoever it was for a day or so. He’s super-competitive and wants to do the right things, so you wait to see how a young player handles being sat — and more importantly, how his teammates react.
This teammate was likely Egor Zamula, who has also served as Michkov’s translator at times this season. PHLY’s Charlie O’Connor wrote on Zamula’s friendship with Michkov back in September.
Friedman also touched on why Michkov may have been a healthy scratch, on top of just getting some rest:
Michkov’s brief removal apparently had something to do with an exchange on the bench the Flyers wished to address. It wasn’t anything enormous or concerning, more like a “let’s deal with it now and move on” teaching moment.
Ultimately, this probably isn’t something to read into too much. Michkov is adjusting to the NHL and North America in general. The Flyers are emphasizing culture in their rebuild during this New Era of Orange and they have a good group around Michkov, even if he’s willing to stonewall one of his fellow countrymen over a lost ping pong match.
