Flyers’ Matvei Michkov scratched for first time in NHL career

An unfortunate first for one of the young stars in the game.

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that forward Matvei Michkov will be stretched for the team’s game on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It is the first time the Russian rookie has been left off the lineup card in his NHL career.

Head coach John Tortorella told the media after the team’s morning skate that this shouldn’t come to a surprise.

“It’s part of the process,” Tortorella said “With young guys, they can watch games too, as far as development, so it’s trying to help them.”

Michkov had played in each of the first 13 games of the season for Philadelphia. He got off to a hot start, posting nine points over a seven-game span last month, including scoring twice against the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 15. The 19-year-old was held off the scoresheet for four straight games before registering an assist in the Flyers’ 6-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

In the 13 appearances, Michkov has scored four goals–three of which came on the power play–and six assists for 10 points, averaging 17:50 of ice time with a plus/minus of -8. He has spent most of the time on a line with veterans Travis Konecny and captain Sean Couturier, while also seeing quality minutes with the special teams’ units.

Michkov signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Flyers back on July 1 with a cap hit of $950,000. However, his AAV is up to $4.25 million thanks to a possible $3.3 million in performance bonuses.

Philly originally took the Perm native with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Yet, Michkov couldn’t join the team right away, as he was still under contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. However, SKA released from his deal this past summer, allowing the Flyers to come in and sign him.

The Flyers (4-8-1) are tied with the Nashville Predators for the worst record in the NHL.