VOORHEES, N.J. \u2014 The Olympic break could not have come at a better time for Flyers second-year player Matvei Michkov.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a struggle for much of the season for the 21-year-old Russian forward. Playing for under new coach Rick Tocchet, he\u2019s been moved from one side of the rink to the other and juggled through lines. Plus, there have been questions about his fitness since the day he walked into training camp in September.<\/p>\n
When the Olympic break started Feb. 6, everyone around the team agreed the time off would do Michkov good.<\/p>\n
Tuesday, after six days of practice, Michkov allowed himself a smile or two as he faced media at the Flyers Training Zone.<\/p>\n
Inquiring minds wanted to know just about everything Michkov has been up to. Through a translator, he answered questions with a confident tone. Some of that swagger might have come from the fact that he seemed to play a lot better in the last few games before the break.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was training everyday,\u201d Michkov noted of time during the break. \u201cTwo a day, the first one was the gym. The second was conditioning and stamina.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then came the query about how Michkov feels mentally and emotionally. It\u2019s no secret that it\u2019s been a difficult transition from life in Russia to everyday existence in the United States.<\/p>\n
That might help explain why his numbers have dropped off from his sensational first season when he was probably the fourth-best rookie in the NHL. He wasn\u2019t among the three finalists for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, but he was close.<\/p>\n
In 80 games, he registered 26 goals and 63 points with three shootout goals, eight power-play goals (17 points) and three game-winning goals, plus 16:41 average ice time.<\/p>\n
In 55 games this season, he\u2019s posted only 13 goals and 29 points, just two power-play goals and seven points), and only 14:34 average ice time.<\/p>\n
Perhaps these three weeks away can provide a reset.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel a lot better,\u201d he said. \u201cHope to feel a lot better in the games as well. My main point now is to help the team and win. My mind is always ready. We\u2019re working on a couple things. I\u2019m ready to go the second half. Before the Olympics break I was playing better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michkov flourished last season under former coach John Tortorella. This season, Tocchet has experimented with Michkov on both right and left wing as well as the first and second power-play units.<\/p>\n
Michkov caught fire after last year\u2019s 4 Nations tournament. Is he looking for a similar late charge?<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, after the 4 Nations, there was not too long of a break,\u201d he said. \u201cI was just resting. This time I was not planning to rest. I was not happy with the way the game goes. So I was working the entire break.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teams may have been caught off guard by Michkov\u2019s production last season. All teams make adjustments, which is why you see fewer spectacular middle-of-the-ice breakaways this year.<\/p>\n
Just before the break, general manager Daniel Briere heard scuttlebutt about Michkov\u2019s concerns about reduced ice time. Briere put to rest any rumors about an organizational fallout, saying that Michkov has a big part in the Flyers\u2019 future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to do my job, that\u2019s the only thing I care about,\u201d Michkov said. \u201cThe way he (Tocchet) plays me, he decides.\u201d<\/p>\n
What about the position \u201ccontroversy?\u201d Michkov, a lefty shooter, has played much of his career on the right side. Moving to the left can be a tall order at the NHL level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always played on the right, now I play on the left,\u201d he said. \u201cThe coach sees me there, so I have to adapt as quick as I can. For me, on the right, I can create more. Now I have to switch everything to left and do the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flyers assistant coach Todd Reirden, who has been running the show with Tocchet at the Olympics, positive things to say about Michkov\u2019s adjustment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s done a real good job with adjusting,\u201d Reirden said. \u201cThe way he\u2019s been able to convert and make plays on that side, it opens up different options for him. It\u2019s something we wanted to take a look at. We are going to continue to stay with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the Flyers to make up an eight-point gap to the final playoff spot, they\u2019ll need some semblance of the 2024-25 Michkov.<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n
NOTES >> Defenseman Travis Sanheim, who won a silver medal with Canada Sunday, was not at Tuesday\u2019s practice but is expected to play Wednesday night at Washington. \u2026 Goaltender Dan Vladar, back from Olympic duty with Czechia, is expected to start against the Capitals. Sam Ersson looks set to go against the Rangers when the Flyers complete a back-to-back in New York Thursday night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VOORHEES, N.J. \u2014 The Olympic break could not have come at a better time for Flyers second-year player…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470239,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5112],"tags":[1468,5,4,1467,56,5205,43,5095],"class_list":{"0":"post-470238","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia-flyers","8":"tag-flyers","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-philadelphia","12":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","13":"tag-philadelphiaflyers","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-top-stories-tmc"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116127931113553281","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470238\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}