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Matvei Michkov

East Notes: Michkov, Lyon, Marchand

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The Philadelphia Flyers completed a dramatic overtime victory over the Minnesota Wild yesterday, but not everything is going smoothly so far to start the season in Philadelphia. While the Flyers have compiled a decent 2-2-1 record to start the year, one of the more notable emerging storylines on the Flyers has been the usage of star second-year forward Matvei Michkov. According to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, the 2023 seventh-overall pick was once again benched by head coach Rick Tocchet late in last night’s game, with Kurz attributing the move to “too many ineffective shifts and careless plays with the puck.”

Michkov has struggled thus far under Tocchet, with just one goal and zero assists through five games. While he remains the Flyers’ top power play forward in terms of time-on-ice per game, his overall usage has declined from 16:41 per game last season to just 14:50 this year. While Tocchet’s usage of Michkov may ultimately help the young forward develop a more well-rounded all-around game, it’s also potentially fair to question whether taking this approach with Michkov, who is one of the Flyers’ most lethal offensive weapons, ultimately hurts the team’s chances to win more than it helps.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Buffalo Sabres have rebounded in a strong way since their 0-3-0 start, rattling off consecutive dominant victories against two of last year’s playoff teams: the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers. While Zach Benson’s return from injury has greatly helped matters, leading the charge for the Sabres has been netminder Alex Lyon, who was signed for $1.5MM AAV this past summer to be the backup to starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Lyon has a .929 save percentage through five games this season, a mark that ranks third in the NHL among goalies with four starts or more. While Luukkonen is likely to remain the team’s go-to starter whenever he recovers from his injury, Lyon is putting together a strong case to receive an increased workload as a backup.
  • Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand was fined $5K by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety today, for unsportsmanlike conduct committed in yesterday’s 3-0 loss to the Sabres. The unsportsmanlike conduct occurred midway through the second period when Marchand got into a scuffle with Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin. Dahlin had cross-checked Marchand, and Marchand went after Dahlin as a result, delivering a few punches. Marchand was ultimately taken to the penalty box, but he travelled there with Dahlin’s helmet in hand, and once in the penalty box, Marchand proceeded to rip several straps off of Dahlin’s helmet and toss it back onto the ice. This is not the first time Marchand has gotten into trouble for an unconventional kind of unsportsmanlike conduct: during the 2018 playoffs, Marchand was officially warned by the league after he licked the face of then-Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan.

Matvei Michkov Seeing Fewer Minutes In Slow Start

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Having yet to record a point in the Flyers’ first three games, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic wrote earlier today on Matvei Michkov’s early season struggles. The ultra-talented Russian has been lightly benched at times by new Head Coach Rick Tocchet. Although this may raise some eyebrows, there are reasons for this outside of his play alone, as noted by Kurz. 

Philadelphia broke into the win column yesterday, pulling away late from the defending champion Panthers. While such a triumph could be encouraging, it is key to mention that Florida opted to start backup goalie Daniil Tarasov. As the Flyers sit at a bit of a crossroads this season, trying to etch a new identity with a roster that finally offers real youth, the 20-year-old Russian is their biggest piece for the future. Michkov led all rookies in goals in 2024-2025, with an impressive 63 points, all during a bit of a tumultuous season for the Black and Orange. 

Therefore, a scoreless first three games for Michkov isn’t ideal, along with falling ice time, down to 14:26. Interestingly, fellow young Russian Nikita Grebenkin appeared in Michkov’s place on a line with Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny in crunch time vs Florida. However, Tocchet emphasized that the swap was primarily to reward Grebenkin, who has made an impression so far. 

Additionally, there are other factors which have worked against Michkov, painting a picture perhaps a bit misleading. Tocchet mentioned that he has been getting up to speed from an ankle ailment over the summer, along with the fact that the Flyers have been highly penalized, often keeping their young star off the ice. Finally, Tocchet is wanting to implement an approach of balancing up-and-down the lineup, as the club searches for their identity. Philadelphia has made it clear that they will move into the future still leaning into their gritty playing style as always, but they will need to ensure it does not stunt the development of a potential offensive superstar. 

With all of this in mind, Tocchet’s utilization of Michkov will be interesting to monitor, but just three games in, it is still too soon to sound the alarms. With Michkov’s ability, it is likely just a matter of time. 

NHL Announces 2024-25 All-Rookie Team

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Considering the votes for the 2024-25 Calder Memorial Trophy, there weren’t many surprises on this year’s All-Rookie Team, which the NHL announced this morning. There were three unanimous selections, while the other three winners had a closer vote margin. The team is as follows:

G Dustin Wolf  (Flames) – Wolf finished second in Calder Trophy voting after a superb rookie campaign. The 24-year-old netminder finished the year with a 29-16-8 record in 53 starts with a .910 SV% and 2.64 GAA. Furthermore, Wolf finished with 15.1 Goals Saved Above Average according to Hockey Reference, and nearly backstopped the Calgary Flames to the postseason despite expectations of a rebuilding year.

D Lane Hutson (Canadiens) – Joining Wolf as another unanimous selection to the 2024-25 All-Rookie Team, Hutson was this year’s Calder Trophy winner. Scoring six goals and 66 points in 82 games while averaging 22:44 of ice time per game, Hutson joined Bobby Orr, Brian Leetch, and Quinn Hughes as the only defensemen to lead rookies in scoring during their respective inaugural campaigns.

D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets) – Although he didn’t share similar point production to Hutson, Mateychuk had a quietly productive campaign for the Columbus Blue Jackets, scoring four goals and 13 points in 45 games, averaging 18:02 of ice time a night. Much of Mateychuk’s value came on the defensive side of the puck, securing a 91.4% on-ice save percentage at even strength despite starting 57.4% of his shifts in the defensive zone.

F Macklin Celebrini (Sharks) – As last summer’s first overall selection, expectations were high for Celebrini this season. He largely lived up to them, scoring 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games, finishing third in Calder Trophy voting. There were some significant defensive shortcomings in Celebrini’s game, but that should improve as he matures and has better teammates around him. He outscored last year’s Calder Trophy winner, Connor Bedard, by two points in two more games played.

F Cutter Gauthier (Ducks) – Gauthier finished with the fewest vote totals for an All-Rookie nod with 79 out of a potential 187. Still, it was enough to earn third place among forwards. Despite being streaky, Gauthier finished fifth in scoring on the Ducks with 20 goals and 44 points in 82 games. Gauthier’s offensive output should improve with increased ice time during the 2025-26 season, as he finished his rookie campaign averaging slightly above 14 minutes a night.

F Matvei Michkov (Flyers) – Although he wasn’t a unanimous selection like Wolf, Hutson, or Celebrini, Michkov finished one vote shy of those honors. He came exactly as advertised for the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring 26 goals and 63 points in 80 games, leading the team in goal-scoring and finishing second in total output. Like Celebrini, there were significant defensive shortcomings in Michkov’s game throughout the regular season, but those won’t be as important an issue for a winger.

Metropolitan Notes: Provorov, Devils, Michkov, Capitals

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While there’s believed to be mutual interest in a contract extension between the Blue Jackets and pending UFA defenseman Ivan Provorov, there hasn’t been much traction in discussions, reports Pierre LeBrun in a recent piece for The Athletic (subscription link).  He adds that Columbus and Provorov’s camp exchanged offers back in January but they were not close to an agreement while it’s believed that they haven’t circled back on talks since then.  Provorov was widely viewed as a prominent trade candidate heading into the season but with the Blue Jackets continuing to be in the mix for a playoff spot, it would be risky for them to move him now, even though they’d be running the risk of losing him for nothing this summer in free agency.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see the two sides at least have a follow-up discussion about a possible new deal in the days leading up to Friday’s trade deadline.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While the Devils have been known to be looking for centers for most of the season, Gabriel Trevino of NJ Advance Media relays that they’re also looking to add scoring help although a move is unlikely to come until right before the deadline. He adds that New Jersey is in a spot where they’re open to accepting rentals or longer-term fits.  However, while the latter would cost more to acquire, defenseman Simon Nemec is not someone the team intends to move despite the fact he has spent the bulk of the year in the minors, something he hasn’t been happy  They’re projected to have less than $1.7MM in cap room available on deadline day, per PuckPedia, so they’ll need to get creative if they’re going to add an impact player to their roster.
  • The NHL announced that Flyers winger Matvei Michkov has been named Rookie of the Month for February. He’s the first rookie this season to get the nod twice after also winning in October.  Michkov had ten points in seven games last month while he’s the rookie leader in goals (19) league-wide while being tied for the lead in points with 44.
  • The Capitals are looking to add depth both up front and on the back end before Friday’s trade deadline, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). With Washington leading the way in the Eastern Conference, it’s understandable that their preference would be to avoid doing anything to shake up the core of their group.  They have $3.65MM remaining in their LTIR pool, per PuckPedia, meaning that if they want to make a couple of additions while still leaving room for injury replacements, they’re going to be primarily looking at low-cost pickups.

Flyers Notes: Michkov, Ersson, Kolosov

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Matvei Michkov will be a healthy scratch for the first time in his career tonight, head coach John Tortorella told reporters (including Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports). He got back on the scoresheet Tuesday against the Hurricanes with a power-play assist, but he hasn’t recorded an even-strength point since Oct. 26 against the Wild and has seen his minutes reduced over the past four games. He’ll sit for Anthony Richard, who will make his Flyers debut after being recalled in place of the IR-bound Ryan Poehling yesterday.

“Just part of the process,” Tortorella said. “We’re trying to help him. I told you guys: with young guys, they can watch games too, as part of development. It’s trying to help him.” Sitting the Calder Trophy frontrunner for a game is something he’s hinted at for a few days.

Michkov, the seventh overall pick in 2023, has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) through his first NHL 13 games and is averaging 17:50 per game. Despite his struggles to produce offense at even strength, he’s carrying possession well. The Flyers control 48.4% of shot attempts with Michkov on the ice compared to 44.7% without him.

There’s more from Philadelphia:

  • Goaltender Samuel Ersson remains out of the lineup tonight against the Lightning as he continues to nurse a lower-body injury, per Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He was a participant in morning skate, though, signaling a return isn’t far off. It’ll be his second game missed with the injury, putting a pause on what had been a good start to the season for the 25-year-old with a .901 SV%, 2.68 GAA and 0.5 GSAA.
  • Unfortunately, he’s not the only Flyers netminder with injury issues. While they initially anticipated giving Aleksei Kolosov his third career NHL start tonight, he sustained an undisclosed injury during morning skate and may be unavailable to dress, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Without time to get a recall from AHL Lehigh Valley to Tampa for tonight’s game, they’ll need to rely on the arena’s designated emergency backup goaltender if Kolosov isn’t cleared to play. He may still be healthy enough to dress as the backup, but either way, it appears Ivan Fedotov will get a chance to get back on track after logging a horrid .821 SV% and 5.35 GAA through his first three showings.

East Notes: Senators, Michkov, Rust

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The Senators are .500 through their first 10 games, but that’s been enough to stay on the verge of a playoff position in an Atlantic Division that’s been mainly underwhelming to begin the season. Injuries have played a significant factor, with new starter Linus Ullmark missing a few games and other essential pieces, namely center Shane Pinto and right-shot defenseman Artem Zub, currently sidelined with significant but not ultra-long-term ailments.

Those latter two absences have led the Senators to consider adding more depth to those positions in particular, general manager Steve Staios told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen yesterday. That’s likely an action item for later in the season, though. Staios still wants to give some runway to their internal options to prove they can step up in relief. “I believe that leads to stability as well as confidence in the group,” he said.

So far, those internal options have done the job and likely lessened Staios’ urgency to make a move. Depth pivot Adam Gaudette has five goals in nine games as an injury fill-in after spending most of last season in the AHL, while 24-year-old Jacob Bernard-Docker has posted solid possession numbers (57.7 CF%, 50.0 xGF%) while relieving Zub on the back end.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • It’s been a bit of a rough stretch for current Calder Trophy frontrunner Matvei Michkov over the past couple of games. After going point-per-game through his first nine appearances and taking home NHL Rookie of the Month honors for October, he’s gone without a point in his past four and recorded a season-low 13:56 on Thursday against the Blues before posting a -3 rating in a shutout loss to the Bruins earlier today. That’s led to intermittent benchings from John Tortorella, something neither coach nor player views as a real cause for concern, writes Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. “I just wanted him to sit (on the bench), relax, think about what I said to him,” Tortorella said. “I think it was two or three rotations, we put him back out there. He may miss games, who knows? I don’t know what’s going to happen. But that’s part of the development of a 19-year-old kid.“
  • Penguins winger Bryan Rust skated today for the first time since landing on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 32-year-old has now missed a pair of games with the injury, which he sustained on Oct. 26 against the Canucks. He’ll be eligible to come off IR anytime but is still listed as week-to-week. He had three goals and an assist in eight appearances before exiting the lineup.

East Notes: Michkov, Benson, Poltapov

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One player has taken a clear lead in the heated race for the 2024-25 Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. The Philadelphia Flyers announced rookie forward Matvei Michkov has been named the NHL Rookie of the Month for the opening month of the NHL calendar.

The award likely came down to the wire with Montreal Canadiens’ Lane Hutson and Dallas Stars’ Logan Stankoven getting off to strong starts in their own right. Michkov still had the edge with four goals and nine points in 11 contests to begin his NHL career.

He’s also gotten off to an impressive start in the possession game with a 49.3% CorsiFor% at even strength. This metric adds even more credibility to Michkov’s Calder pursuit considering the Flyers are 24th in the league in the category with a 47.8% mark.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Buffalo Sabres could be getting a boost to their offense. Heather Engel of NHL.com reports forward Zach Benson is “for sure” a possibility next week. The Sabres’ youngster hasn’t suited up since October 19th due to a lower-body injury and there’s some indication he was playing through the injury toward the start of the season. He’s already skated in six games for Buffalo this year but went scoreless while averaging 14:10 of ice time per night. The Sabres’ coaching staff is hopeful that Benson’s full recovery can put his offensive output back on the right track.
  • In worse news for the Sabres organization, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports Buffalo prospect Prokhor Poltapov has signed a two-year extension with the KHL’s CSKA Moskva. Poltapov was eligible to sign his entry-level contract with the Sabres at the end of the current KHL season but will likely stay through the 2026-27 KHL season. Buffalo drafted Poltapov with the 33rd overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft and the St. Petersburg, Russia native has seven goals and 16 points through 21 games to start the year.

Metro Notes: Panarin, Sorokin, Fasching, Michkov

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The New York Rangers have had a couple of scares over the last week with All-Star forward Artemi Panarin leaving two preseason games with a lower-body injury. There was a fear that Panarin’s most recent injury could be longer term but Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that won’t be the case.

The Russian superstar is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury which is a best-case scenario for the player and the organization. Panarin left the Rangers’ preseason contest against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night and previously left the team’s game against the New York Islanders last week with a similar injury.

New York’s regular season success does not completely center around Panarin’s availability but he does account for much of it. He’s coming off the best statistical season of his career scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 82 contests while finishing fifth in Hart Memorial Trophy voting.

Other Metro notes:

  • On the flip side of the New York rivalry, the Islanders are getting a boost between the pipes. Andrew Gross of Newsday reports goaltender Ilya Sorokin was a full participant in New York’s practice today for the first time in camp. The Islanders will likely ramp up Sorokin’s training relatively quickly as he recovers from offseason back surgery. He could even feature in the team’s game tomorrow night against the Rangers. The organization is hopeful for a bounceback campaign from their number one netminder after Sorokin posted a 16-point decrease in save percentage last year compared to his previous career average.
  • Again from Gross – another player returning to the ice for the Islanders is depth forward Hudson Fasching (X Link). He’s been nursing a lower-body injury that has kept him off the ice since September 27th. Because of his injury, he’s only suited up in one preseason game so far and will now be able to suit up in one more before the regular season kicks off on October 10th.
  • A panel of writers from the NHL has made their prediction for the Calder Memorial Trophy winner for the 2024-25 NHL season. The panel predicts Philadelphia Flyers’ youngster Matvei Michkov will take home the award by season’s end. Still, he will have some tough competition from San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini and Dallas Stars’ Logan Stankoven. It’s tough to argue with the panel on their choice as Michkov already has three goals and seven points in four preseason contests.

East Notes: Michkov, Marchand, Sillinger, Giles

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If preseason is any indication, there won’t be many growing pains for Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov as he adjusts to playing in North America. The 2023 seventh overall pick put his stamp all over the Flyers’ first home win of the exhibition schedule last night, recording a secondary assist and scoring an empty-net insurance marker in a 2-0 victory over the Islanders, quite literally making all the game’s offense go through him one way or another.

“He’s been working really hard,” assistant coach Rocky Thompson said Thursday (via The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz). “You can tell within our practices and with our skating, he’s made a diligent effort. So, that’s good. He’s backchecking hard, he’s doing all those things. But, you can see his ability to make plays. He generated opportunities for his teammates, he scores himself tonight with a goal and an assist. Played good.”

Many worries about how Michkov might adjust to the NHL centered around a potentially rocky relationship with bench boss John Tortorellaregarding his all-around play. But he’s been complimentary of Michkov’s effort and willingness to go into one-on-one puck battles, calling him “certainly willing to be in the areas to go get the puck.”

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • If Bruins captain Brad Marchand has his way, Morgan Geekie will open the season on his right flank in second-line duties. “I love playing with Geeks,” Marchand told Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. “He’s so great in some of the different areas, the way he can hold onto pucks and makes plays. Shoots it. Great in the corners. I think he really complements our line as well. We haven’t had a ton of reps together, so we’ll continue to work on it. But I’ve always really liked his game.” His assessment about not having a ton of reps together is correct – Geekie logged just 25 minutes of ice time last season with Marchand and Charlie Coyle, per MoneyPuck. The 26-year-old is on the upswing after a career-high 17 goals and 39 points for Boston last year but faces competition from 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell, whose preseason showing Marchand called “encouraging” but added there’s room for improvement.
  • The Blue Jackets might have a second Sillinger on their opening-night roster. 27-year-old Owen Sillinger, Cole Sillinger’s older brother, is among the leading candidates to snag a spot with Justin Danforth potentially not ready to start the season while recovering from wrist surgery, writes The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Sillinger spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on minor-league deals and finished third on the team in scoring last season with 40 points (11 G, 29 A) in 69 games. That showing earned him a promotion to a two-way deal with Columbus this summer. He could briefly factor into a bottom-six role before likely landing on waivers when Danforth is ready to return.
  • Panthers prospect Patrick Giles finds himself in a similarly unexpected situation. The 24-year-old has been getting reps on Florida’s fourth line over the past couple days with Tomáš Nosek set to miss a few weeks and has a shot to open the campaign in the NHL, David Dwork of The Hockey News relays. An undrafted free agent signing out of Boston College in 2022, Giles stands at 6’4″ and 203 lbs and posted a career-high 13 goals and 23 points in 63 games last season for AHL Charlotte.

Metropolitan Notes: Holmström, Martin, Flyers, Nadeau

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At long last, Islanders forward Simon Holmström appears ready to push for a top-six role. Head coach Patrick Roy thinks so, at least, he told The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner.

Holmström, the Isles’ 2019 first-round pick, has established himself as a full-time NHLer over the past two seasons. But he’s been used almost exclusively as a bottom-six option at even strength with some fringe penalty-killing usage as well.

He began to flash some extended offensive upside last season, recording 15 goals and 25 points in 75 games. Those aren’t top-six totals on a playoff team, nor was Holmström ever drafted to be a true game-breaker on the scoresheet, but he’s showing the “compete level” necessary to flash his puck skills more often and fit better in a complementary role alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, Roy said.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Expect Matt Martin’s professional tryout with the Isles to last past when opening night rosters are due on Oct. 7, Rosner and The Hockey News’ Kai Russell write. Players can remain with a team’s practice group, just not game action, on PTOs up until the trade deadline. The Bruins took advantage of this tactic last season, keeping Danton Heinen around on his PTO for almost a month into the season before they created the cap space necessary to sign him to a contract. The Islanders, which currently have exactly $0 in cap space with an open roster spot (PuckPedia), may need to do the same if they want to bring the 35-year-old back for his 14th season on Long Island.
  • Early line rushes in camp suggest Flyers Calder Trophy candidate Matvei Michkov will start his first NHL season in a second-line role at right wing alongside Tyson Foerster and Morgan Frost, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz writes. Meanwhile, Noah Cates may fall victim to the press box early on in the season after finishing ninth in Calder voting and 15th in Selke Trophy voting just two seasons ago. The 25-year-old has had a continually diminishing impact as the Flyers have built out the rest of their forward corps, seeing his ATOI drop from 17:46 in his rookie season to 13:48 last season.
  • Seth Jarvis’ pathway to the NHL offers hope for Hurricanes winger Bradly Nadeau and his chances of cracking the opening night roster, opines Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer. Both first-round picks, Jarvis cracked Carolina’s roster as a 19-year-old in his second season after being drafted, skipping the AHL and landing a full-time role in the NHL directly out of juniors. Nadeau has faced older competition, recording 46 points in 37 NCAA games last season for the University of Maine before signing his entry-level contract and making his NHL debut in Carolina’s final game of the regular season.

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