‘Michkov is Not Going Anywhere’

When you’re in the middle of a rough stretch like the Philadelphia Flyers are, everything is elevated. Frustration is high, both in the locker room and among the fan base. And things really seemed to come to a head over the weekend when Matvei Michkov played a season-low 10:21 as the Flyers lost for the 11th time in the previous 13 games.

The next day was the Flyers Charities Carnival, and it seemed like the Flyers’ brass only poured gasoline on a firestorm. Keith Jones was on PHLY Flyers and noted that it’s important for the coaching staff to remember that while winning games is the ultimately determination of success, that development is equally as important with where the Flyers are presently. Rick Tocchet made the media rounds with both PHLY Flyers and Snow the Goalie and had some interesting comments about Michkov’s usage.

Notably, Tocchet brought up “showing up for treatment on time” for the second day in a row, also saying it after Saturday’s game.

Prior to Tuesday’s game, Flyers GM Danny Briere met with the media and spoke for over five minutes before taking questions. The most poignant message: the 21-year-old the Flyers hope can become a star isn’t going anywhere.

“First of all, Matvei’s going to be here for a long time,” Briere said. “He’s going to be a good player here for the Flyers. And what he’s going through right now is all part of the learning process. So that’s out of the way. He’s not going anywhere. He’ll be here. He’ll be a good player.”

Briere continued talking about how essentially all young players go through a similar learning curve and need to experience the day-to-day of NHL life to understand what it takes to be a pro. Briere added that this is what Tocchet is trying to teach.

“You don’t know what you don’t know. Matvei arrived here. Him along with guys like Denver Barkey and Nikita Grebenkin, they’re learning how to become better pros,” Briere said. “You don’t know before you arrive to the NHL what it’s like on a daily basis, and a grind, and everything attached to it. And that’s what Rick Tocchet is trying to teach them. I’ve been through it. Keith Jones has been through it. Rick Tocchet has been through it. It’s all part of the process.

“When I talk to Rick Tocchet on a daily basis, he wants Matvei to succeed. He wants to develop him to be the best player he can be, and along the way, there’s tough lessons that come with that. It’s like raising a child. There’s tough lessons that he’s learning. It doesn’t matter if he’s playing, 12, 14, 16, or even if he was playing 52 minutes a night. He’s learning along the way. That’s part of the process.”

Briere noted that Tocchet and Michkov have similarities in their passion and fire for the game. The GM added that when the wins aren’t there, as they haven’t been recently, things can get said or done that may need to be corrected or addressed.

“It’s going to make him a better player along the way and Rick Tocchet wants that. He wants to be here for the long haul to lead this team,” Briere said. “Him and Matvei, they have a good relationship. Sometimes they’re fiery. Sometimes when you’re not winning, things are done and said, but they always come back to the table and they want the best for this team and Rick wants the best for Matvei.

“I know there were some comments regarding missing treatments from Rick Tocchet at the Carnival. Those comments were made in relation to trying to explain how players are learning along the way. He wasn’t targeting Matvei. He’s trying to teach these guys to become better pros, making sure that everything off the ice is taken care of. Treatments are one of them. Training, workouts are part of it. Your nutrition, getting massage to make sure you’re prepared for the next game. So there’s a lot of stuff that comes into play when you’re learning to become a better pro.”

So in his second season in the NHL, how are the Flyers helping Michkov continue to adjust to the NHL and become a better pro? Michkov has seldom been heard from in the media, largely due to the need for a translator in addition to his overall struggles. Briere made clear that Michkov is a driven player and is learning a good lesson about his offseason preparation from this past offseason.

“We’re trying to do everything we can to help him out,” Briere said. “One thing I know about Matvei is how driven he is. He wants to be the best player he can be. He admitted himself that he wasn’t in the best physical condition coming in. It’s going to be tough to catch up. Now he’s in better shape than he was when he arrived this season. Unfortunately, everybody is in better shape than they were in training camp. So it’s really tough for him to catch up with the amount of games that we have, the amount of travel that we have, tough for him to catch up in season. He’s going to do that in the offseason. It was a good lesson for him and it’s just going to make him a better hockey player coming into next year.”

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.

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