Flyers rumors: The former phenom who’s no longer ‘untouchable’ in trade talks after playoff benching

The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2023 seventh-overall pick, Matvei Michkov, was once a non-starter in trade talks, as he figured to be the next great Russian phenom once he came to North America. However, with rumors about his distaste for staying in shape and a rocky relationship with head coach Rick Tocchet, the Flyers may not be too reluctant to explore a deal, according to Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco.

“While the Flyers are certainly in no rush to move Michkov, it feels like he isn’t as untouchable as we once thought. Speaking with team sources earlier in the week, DFO was told that the Flyers would ‘listen on everyone’ if it meant improving the team – which is what every good NHL team does. But given that this was said during a conversation regarding Michkov, it is at least somewhat noteworthy given that the word ‘untouchable’ had been synonymous with him in the past,” Di Marco reported.

Michkov had just one assist in eight games during the playoffs and was a healthy scratch for Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes. With this being his second season in the league, the Flyers were hopeful that he’d have shown some growth by now.

The Russian’s point total dropped by 12 points, from 63 to 51, in his sophomore season, largely due to his coming to training camp out of shape and never fully getting up to speed. If he doesn’t have a good offseason and suffers the same fate next season, the desire to trade him could increase even more.

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