Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet has had it with the Flyers media and questions about Matvei Michkov.
Tocchet held his typical media availability following Monday’s morning skate, ahead of the team’s matchup with the Vancouver Canucks. As usual, several questions about Michkov were asked of the bench boss.
After a few more questions than usual, Tocchet sounded off.
“We’re 17-10, we have a good record. I’ve answered six Michkov questions [this morning]. I mean, enough is enough,” said Tocchet.
Matvei Michkov is a “lightning rod” around this team. The 2023 7th-overall draft selection is set to be the future of hockey in Philadelphia. Interest in the player is high. The expectation is that plenty of questions will be asked about the team’s star.
However, Tocchet is clearly growing frustrated with the number of questions surrounding the 21-year-old star. Especially when there are other players having a great season. “We’ve got [Dan Vladar] having a great year. [Jamie Drysdale] is playing really good five-on-five for us. [Cam York] is doing a really good job. We’ve got a lot of players doing good in a team game.”
Tocchet is not wrong in the sense that there have been a lot of Michkov questions asked this season. The potential future face of the franchise has been a storyline this season. He comes into camp a bit behind in his conditioning after a summer injury. Michkov is not producing at the same clip that he was last season. Even his ice time has taken a dip.
Tocchet has been asked a lot about the young winger this season.
On Monday, it began with Tocchet being asked about an exchange on the bench before the Flyers’ first power play on Saturday vs. the Rangers. Tocchet simply explained that it was not an argument. Rather, it was coaching on when to switch on during the power-play chance. Tocchet said, “He was just getting frustrated on when to switch and when he shouldn’t switch.”
The Flyers’ head coach would later say that sometimes he comes off early because of fatigue. “He’s getting enough shifts. [Sometimes] he’s coming off short because sometimes he’s tired. I don’t know what the big deal of that is.”
Tocchet concluded Monday’s Michkov talk by saying, “He’s got to learn to play the game, and he’s trying. He’s a lot better defensively, he’s a lot better playing a team game, and that’s how you win hockey. It’s not about catering to one person. I hate to tell you guys, that’s it.”
Michkov, Tocchet, and the Flyers take on the coach’s former team, the Vancouver Canucks, on Monday at 7:30 p.m. EST.
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