PHILADELPHIA — Sean Couturier couldn’t help but smirk when asked last week about Matvei Michkov.

When it was light-heartedly mentioned to him that the goal wasn’t to get him in any more trouble, Couturier joked, “Yeah, I’ve got to be careful here,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to a social media-generated controversy last month, when Couturier’s postgame comments about the second-year forward were presented out of context.

Couturier and Michkov are linked, though. They’ve started on the same line for 15 straight games, including Sunday afternoon’s 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Further, coach Rick Tocchet has already mentioned that the 20-year-old Michkov looks up to Couturier, who turned 33 on Sunday while playing in his 900th career game. Michkov is often seeking guidance from Couturier in regard to his two-way responsibilities, something that Michkov still needs to improve.

But there’s more to it when it comes to the broader team perspective. Separately, Couturier and Michkov have been the two biggest wild cards on the roster at forward since opening night.

Would Couturier, with multiple back surgeries now years behind him, be able to hold up enough physically to play at a high level, and would Tocchet give him a chance to reestablish himself after John Tortorella never seemed interested in that? And would Michkov, in his second season, take a significant leap forward after leading all NHL rookies in goals last season?

Two months into the season, neither question has been definitively answered.

Couturier’s two-goal, two-assist performance in the home opener on Oct. 13 was an encouraging development, as the captain managed nine points in his first nine games. But then Couturier went dry. From Oct. 16 through Nov. 24, Couturier didn’t score for 17 games. During a 12-game stretch, he had just four assists.

Michkov’s difficult start has already been well-documented, a result of poor offseason preparation and adjusting under his second coach in as many seasons. He managed just one goal in his first 13 games, frequently spending long stretches on the bench, too.

But both have been heating up lately. Couturier’s redirection 2 minutes, 9 seconds, into the first period on Sunday staked the Flyers a 1-0 lead. It was his third goal in the last five games, giving him a respectable 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 26 games for the season.

Michkov was mostly quiet against the Avalanche, not registering any shots, but he did have some strong shifts in the third period with the Flyers searching for the equalizing goal that never came. A case could be made that he was tripped after bringing the puck in to the offensive zone with about two minutes to go, which would have likely given the Flyers a six-on-four advantage with goalie Sam Ersson pulled. Still, Michkov has 10 points (7 goals, 3 assists) in his last 14 games, which is much more in line with what should be expected of him.

Initially that looked like Michkov was tripped, but I think that’s a good no-call. Michkov skated into the guy and fell over. Nice shift by him regardless

— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) December 7, 2025

Couturier may deserve a measure of sympathy for his earlier drought. On Oct. 30, Couturier took a friendly-fire slap shot from Noah Juulsen square to his elbow. For the next little while, he had trouble bending his left arm because of ample swelling, but played through it after missing just one game (against the Maple Leafs on Nov. 1).

But his role has changed from earlier in the season, too. Tocchet essentially acknowledged that he was leaning on Couturier too much early. Headed into that game in which he got hurt at the end of October, Couturier was averaging 19:35 of ice time per game. Since Nov. 14, though, he has eclipsed 19 minutes just once in his last 11 games, on Dec. 3 against Buffalo.

While he’s still relied upon for faceoffs in important situations, Couturier isn’t usually getting the other team’s top line anymore. Against Colorado, he, Michkov and Owen Tippett spent the bulk of their time skating against the Jack Drury-led third line for the Avalanche — and not Hart Trophy frontrunner Nathan MacKinnon’s line.

“Sometimes I think I overplayed (Couturier) at certain times in the beginning of the year,” Tocchet said. “It affected him. But I think I’ve managed his minutes better. That’s helped him. I’ve got to manage his minutes and make sure he’s got his legs.”

Regarding his season, Couturier said: “Personally, it’s been kind of up and down. Starting to feel pretty good about my game again. It’s just about maybe personally playing (with) a little more consistency, but overall as long as the team wins, we’re finding ways to help out at different moments. That’s all that matters.”

Michkov, conversely, is now earning more responsibility — specifically on the power play, which had to be altered after Tyson Foerster’s injury. He remained on the top unit on Sunday, although the Flyers had just one fruitless power play in the game, which was interrupted by the second intermission.

What stands out about Michkov lately is that he looks stronger and more involved in the battle. Speaking for the first time in several weeks last Thursday, Michkov was asked how he’s been feeling recently.

“A little better than at the start of the season,” Michkov said — but only after he scoffed at the question, emphasizing on his own displeasure with how it all began.

“My game is not at (its) maximum,” Michkov continued. “This isn’t my best.”

The physical aspect of Michkov’s earlier struggles has been in focus. In what was surely music to the ears of the Flyers’ brain trust, Michkov said that he plans on staying in the area during the Olympic break in February and will begin training at the team’s facility in southern New Jersey next summer earlier than he did this year.

“Need to properly prepare, and spend the time to be ready for the rest of the season,” Michkov said of the upcoming break in about two months. “If you’re physically prepared, the goals will come naturally.”

But Tocchet indicated that he shoulders a portion of the blame, too. Michkov still doesn’t speak fluid English. He’s working on it, and it’s certainly gotten better in his year and a half in North America, but it’s still posed a challenge for the coaching staff.

Tocchet acknowledged that he and his assistants may have been guilty of overloading Michkov on details at the start.

“Earlier on, we were giving him so much information, I think we could frustrate him a little bit,” Tocchet said. “I think we just collectively have to manage how we give him information, because he seems to be grasping it more these last three weeks than he did the first three weeks. I think, as coaches, we’ve adjusted. Sometimes we over-coach, or over-correct him. We’ve got to be careful.”

The Flyers lost a huge piece in Foerster, out until at least February with a shoulder injury, and who is still tied for the team lead in goals with 10. Getting Couturier and Michkov on the scoresheet on a regular basis could be necessary if they are to successfully fill that void, and remain in the playoff race.