The Philadelphia Flyers have their next superstar in Matvei Michkov

Jun 29, 2023

Credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff

NASHVILLE – And now the waiting game begins.

After never-ending speculation, the Philadelphia Flyers drafted Matvei Michkov with the seventh pick at the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville – and it didn’t take moving key assets to make it happen.

Let’s get this out of the way: as of now, the Flyers won’t be able to bring him over until 2026. He has a deal with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, and there’s no sign of that changing anytime soon. It’s also not uncommon for quality prospects to take 2-3 years to make the NHL anyways – only eight of the 31 players taken in 2020 have reached the 100-game mark, and 15 haven’t played 82 games. But it’s rarer for guys drawing comparisons to NHL MVPs.

Now, on to the positives.

What Michkov did with HK Sochi this season was nothing short of incredible. He had nine goals and 20 points in 27 games, helping Sochi – the worst team in the KHL – win six times after snagging just three in the first two-thirds of the season. His 0.74 points per game during his time with Sochi is the best by a U-19 in league history – beating out Evgeny Kuznetsov, Eeli Tolvanen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Kirill Kaprizov, and Artemi Panarin. We haven’t seen a young prospect come out and dominate like this before in a league that has always been difficult on U-20 talent.

In any other year, Michkov would go No. 1 without a doubt. His pure skill is up there with the best of the best. It’s like watching a young Nikita Kucherov with the way he unleashes his shot and pulls off dazzling moves on a nightly basis.

The question marks are big, but I think they’re overblown. And Michkov will absolutely be worth the wait.

It’s so rare to find a prospect that can take over like Michkov does offensively. He’s as skilled as they come, pulling off highlight-reel goals like they’re nothing. The “Michigan” will one day be renamed the “Michkov” for how often he pulls it off. And let’s not forget his play at the 2021 U-18 World Championship, where he was arguably better than Connor Bedard.

“The way he creates plays, executes them and dazzles… there’s very few like him,” a scout said. “The puck just comes to him and he knows what to do with it. He’s a magician masquerading as a hockey player.”

Michkov’s biggest improvement this season came in the playmaking department. It’s not like he could have really taken his puck game further – he has one of the hardest releases in the class. But there were times, at least internationally, you could tell he’d try to do everything himself and not use his linemates enough. That criticism seemed to be across the board, no matter the scout’s opinion.

“He’s as close to Bedard as anyone just based on pure talent and scoring ability,” a scout said. “He finds ways to blow your mind every game.”

The average fan missed out on seeing Michkov play toe-to-toe against the best talent in international play due to Russia’s ban, so they might not fully understand Michkov’s value. With the puck, the winger can beat just about anyone. The KHL isn’t kind to young prospects, but Michkov thrived. And he’s only just getting started.

If you’re a Flyers fan worried about the short term, don’t be. The Flyers are in a rebuild, and they need to keep selling. A prospect they have to wait a few years for is completely fine. With new GM Daniel Briere at the helm, they’ve got time on their side. Cutter Gauthier will also help soften the blow in a year.

So, Philly fans, it’s time to celebrate. It’s so rare to find a player with this much potential fall like Michkov did. He has a bright future ahead of him, and while those three years will feel like an eternity, the 15 years after will be icing on the cake.

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