It’s been a tough year for Matvei Michkov. Although the dreaded sophomore slump is something that has happened to the best in the National Hockey League, Michkov now has another issue to deal with. And one that makes him a little lighter in the pocketbook.
The National Hockey League announced Tuesday they fined Michkov $2,000 for “embellishment” in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the second period of the March 24 game (which Columbus won 3-2), Michkov received a two-minute minor for embellishment while Columbus defenseman Dante Fabbro received a two-minute minor for cross-checking.
NEWS: Flyers forward Matvei Michkov has been fined $2,000 for diving/embellishment on March 24 vs #CBJ
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) April 7, 2026
His first warning came on Dec 3 vs BUF. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/iy4jox07Le
As you can see in the video, Fabbro turns and gives Michkov a decent cross-check to the arms, causing Michkov to fall down. Michkov didn’t do a somersault onto the ice, nor did he ask for the Flyers training staff to emerge and wheel him out on a stretcher because of the infraction. He fell thanks to a defenseman who has a few inches on him (and probably about 20 to 25 pounds) hitting him on the arms. He quickly got up, but according to the National Hockey League, he should not have fallen at all.
For some reason, this fine is taking place two whole weeks after the game in which Michkov was seen taking a bit of a dive, according to the NHL. Maybe it is just unfamiliarity with the whole fining system and the league normally takes this long, but who is combing through the backlog of games to then take out a couple grand from a player on a rookie deal?
The Flyers have played seven (fairly exciting) games since that March 24 matchup against the Blue Jackets.
NHL fines Flyers’ Matvei Michkov for embellishment
Given his entry-level salary (as well as performance bonuses), nobody is probably going to be passing the hat to help Michkov out. But it’s a situation which seems illogical to begin with. Had Fabbro not cross-checked him, it’s probably a decent assumption that Michkov would have not fallen to the ice. Falling down because an opponent skates by you would be a new one, even for a league over a century old. In short, the embellishment doesn’t take place without the initial infraction by the Columbus player. But let’s move on.
Michkov was given a warning earlier this season before this fine was levied against him. The warning stemmed from an incident in a game against Buffalo in early December. That warning came with no financial penalty. If Michkov gets another “citation,” it will set him back another $3,000. According to league rules for such actions, if the Mad Russian began ridiculously flopping all over the ice these last five games, he could eventually cost Rick Tocchet money. A fourth citation would set Michkov back $4,000 while a fifth would cost both him and Tocchet money ($5,000 for Michkov and $2,000 for the coach). An eighth citation? Well both Michkov and Tocchet would be each out $5,000.
Michkov has company this season as Anaheim’s Beckett Sennecke was fined $2,000 on March 24, receiving his second citation in a game on March 15. The money from such fines all goes towards the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
