<p>News arrived on Sunday that superstar prospect Matvei Michkov, who was under contract with SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL, will join the Philadelphia Flyers next season.</p>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Everything is still fluid, which isn’t a surprise, but Anthony is on the right track – after a couple months of negotiation, expectation is that 2023 No. 7 overall pick Matvei Michkov will be on his way to Philadelphia. <a href="https://t.co/mcrhBIX9yP">https://t.co/mcrhBIX9yP</a></p>— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) <a href="https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1804905682757365969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Michkov was one of the top talents available in a 2023 NHL Entry Draft loaded with potential franchise-changers but slid to the Flyers and the seventh pick over concerns about how his contract in the ‘K’ would affect his pro timeline.</p>



<p>It was initially thought that Michkov would stay in Russia until at least 2026-27, but rumors that he would terminate his contract with SKA picked up steam after the end of the regular season.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="142"></div>



<p>Now, the Flyers get their man, a 19-year-old offensive dynamo who scored the most KHL points-per-game (.67) of any draft-eligible player in history. Last season, his second on loan at lowly HC Sochi, Michkov took another step forward, notching 19 goals and 41 points in 47 games.</p>



<p>Though he’s not a rapid skater and stands just 5’10, Michkov’s elite puck handling gives him immense potential to create for teammates and score himself. In a year without Connor Bedard and without an extant pro contract, he may have gone first overall.</p>



<p>The Flyers have had just one superstar, Claude Giroux, since trading Eric Lindros in 2001. Landing Michkov after the first season of a rebuild, at seventh overall no less, was a coup by GM Daniel Briere that can <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/what-top-prospect-matvei-michkov-brings-the-philadelphia-flyers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fix the trajectory of a franchise</a> that stagnated over the past decade.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="140"></div>



<p>Michkov will join a talented stable of wingers in Philadelphia headlined by All-Star Travis Konecny (33 G, 68 P), newly-extended sniper Owen Tippett (55 G since 2022), and 20-goal rookie Tyson Foerster.</p>



<p>If the Russian plays to his potential, he can eclipse them all as the next great Flyer.</p>
