After concerns about the way his sophomore season in the NHL went, Philadelphia Flyers starlet Matvei Michkov is already doing what he can to begin erasing those doubts.
To the dismay of a small faction of Flyers fans, Michkov, 21, has spent much of his offseason back home in Russia, and he’ll soon participate in the Match of the Year before returning to North America.
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In the meantime, though, the young Flyers star has spent some time recently training with a star-studded group of NHLers in preparation for the new season.
On Sunday, Michkov was spotted working out with fellow Russian star Artemi Panarin and standout defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, as well as former Flyers forward Andrei Kuzmenko, Vasili Podkolzin, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Marat Khusnutdinov under the tutelage of established trainer Dmitry Yashankin.
The Match of the Year will take place in St. Petersburg on Saturday, July 25, and shortyl thereafter, Michkov is expected to return to Voorhees, N.J. to begin training and associating with his Flyers teammates ahead of the start of training camp.
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Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reported Monday that the Flyers expect their young star back sometime in early August, which would give Michkov at least a week to prepare for the long and complicated flight from Russia back to the United States.
The 2026-27 season will be a crucial one for Michkov, as he is heading into the last year of his entry-level contract with an up-and-down start to his NHL career.
After scoring 26 goals and 63 points in his first year with the Flyers under John Tortorella and Brad Shaw, Michkov regressed to 20 goals and only 51 points under first-year head coach Rick Tocchet last season amid concerns about his fitness level and preparation coming into the year.
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The 5-foot-10 winger was eligible to sign an extension with the Flyers as of July 1, but all signs indicate we will have to wait to see any movement there.
Until then, we have video proof that Michkov is working diligently to erase any doubts about his attention to detail and physical condition.
