Two days after Philadelphia Flyers coach Rick Tocchet voiced his frustration over second-year forward Matvei Michkov’s conditioning level in a podcast interview on Feb. 1, general manager Daniel Briere got everyone together ahead of the team’s next game.
It was, according to a team source, a gathering intended to “clear the air” and get everyone on the same page ahead of the final couple of months of the NHL regular season. Along with Briere, Michkov, Tocchet and the Flyers’ coaching staff, a representative from Michkov’s agency was involved, while team staffer Slava Kuznetsov, in Milan for the Olympics as a coach for figure skater Isabeau Levito, was brought in on a video conference call to help interpret.
From the Flyers’ perspective, they were concerned that some of the online discourse might have been affecting Michkov’s mindset, as a sizable portion of fans still expect him to be the team’s next superstar player and feel he’s being treated unfairly or should have a greater role at this point of the season. In the meeting, the coaching staff conveyed to Michkov, with video examples, why his ice time was limited on some nights, and what he had to clean up.
The club has not made Michkov available to the local media since Tocchet’s original comments, due to Kuznetsov being in Italy, while Michkov’s representatives also declined to comment this week about the meeting.
Michkov, according to team sources, has acknowledged to the Flyers’ staff that he knows he could have handled his first offseason as a professional better than he did over the previous summer. Also, Michkov’s immediate response after the meeting was encouraging. He played his best game in weeks against the Washington Capitals on Feb. 3 in a 4-2 Flyers win, earning an assist on Owen Tippett’s goal that gave the Flyers a 1-0 first-period lead. In 15 minutes, 54 seconds of ice time — more than a minute more than his season average of 14:34 — Michkov “really paid attention” to the details that Tocchet and the staff went over with him in the meeting, according to a team source.
In that game, and the following game on Feb. 5 against the Ottawa Senators, they saw a more engaged Michkov. The hope, of course, is that it will continue when the Flyers’ season resumes on Wednesday in Washington.
During the Olympic break, Michkov posted photos to his Instagram account from the Dominican Republic, as — like most every NHL player who wasn’t a part of the Olympic Games in Milan — he enjoyed a few days off the ice.
But it wasn’t all just sun and sand. According to multiple team sources, Michkov brought a personal trainer (not affiliated with the Flyers) with him on his vacation, as reflected by some of the photos he posted in what was presumably a hotel gym.
As reported earlier, the Flyers believe getting Michkov up to speed physically might not happen until the start of next season, after he has a full offseason to properly train. But getting Michkov to go into the offseason feeling good about himself would be beneficial to everyone involved. Last season, in his final 12 games, Michkov posted 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists).
On Thursday, Flyers assistant coach Todd Reirden, on media duty with Tocchet in Milan as an assistant coach for Team Canada, touched on how Michkov has looked since the team resumed practice earlier this week.
“We need him to pick up where he left off a little bit before the break there. I thought he’s had three good practices,” Reirden said.
Michkov has been skating this week with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink. Reirden is hopeful that Michkov will “get accustomed to playing with the same players in practice every day. One of the things you miss out on when you don’t practice much is getting that chemistry. We’ve used him with a lot of different people. For us to make the push we want to, it’s clear we need him to get to a higher level than he was at going into the break. … We’re really hoping for a big final 26 games from him.”
Ristolainen on the move?
If the Flyers stumble out of the gate when the season resumes and become sellers, they likely would get some calls on Rasmus Ristolainen before the March 6 trade deadline. And, like last season, the Flyers would listen, according to multiple team sources.
Last season, interest in Ristolainen was tepid in the weeks leading up to the deadline, but picked up in a hurry late as some teams scrambled in search of options at the last minute. But Ristolainen remained, and promptly suffered a season-ending triceps injury that kept him out until Dec. 16 of this season.
Much like they did with Scott Laughton last season, the Flyers would not simply give away Ristolainen, considering he has one year left on his contract at a $5.1 million salary cap hit. Large, lanky right-shot defensemen are often in demand this time of year, and the way the NHL season is going, there may be a more limited number of sellers than usual.
One team to keep an eye on here is the Dallas Stars, who may still be seeking a right-handed defenseman after missing out on Rasmus Andersson, who was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Stars have a number of players who, like Ristolainen, are currently on Team Finland at the Olympics, including Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Esa Lindell and Mikko Rantanen. Ristolainen could slide into that dressing room rather seamlessly.
What the Flyers aren’t interested in is simply unloading Ristolainen for a minimal return, per a team source. The Stars don’t have first-round picks in 2026 or 2028, but they still own their first- and second-round picks in the 2027 draft.
Bjarnason impresses in practice, but Ersson still the No. 2
There were perhaps some eyebrows raised when goalie Carson Bjarnason was recalled from the Phantoms on Tuesday to practice with the Flyers. Sam Ersson has struggled, of course, and Aleksei Kolosov hasn’t been any better when he’s gotten a chance to play. Might Bjarnason, a 20-year-old second-round pick in 2023, get an opportunity to give the Flyers the necessary depth behind Dan Vladar they’ve been lacking all season?
That answer, per a team source, is a firm no, at least for now. The Flyers would prefer Bjarnason stay with the Phantoms for the remainder of the season in order to keep developing, and don’t seem to think it’s worth the risk to give him NHL games at this early stage of his career. That, along with Kolosov still not looking NHL-ready, means Ersson will likely remain as the Flyers’ No. 2 for the final two months.
Still, Bjarnason, who was reassigned to the Phantoms on Friday along with defensemen Oliver Bonk and Hunter McDonald, who practiced with the Flyers on Wednesday and Thursday, left an impression on Reirden.
“He was really impressive to me, and I haven’t seen him in a situation like this,” Reirden said. “Just his size and his stature obviously stick out, but I just thought his aggressiveness within the net, getting to the top of the blue paint in these scenarios … sometimes when you move up a level, that’s where you find some goaltenders aren’t necessarily aggressive as they are when they’re playing in the league they’re accustomed to. That was something I was impressed with. And then his work ethic. Battles every puck until the whistle is blown.”
Odds and ends
• Tyson Foerster is progressing from shoulder surgery, but his chances of returning before the end of the regular season are essentially nil, per a team source. There was some ambiguity around Rodrigo Abols’ ankle injury, but the bottom line is that he’s probably out of the remainder of the season, too.
• Expect the Flyers to recall other players from the Phantoms in time for their practices on Saturday and Sunday to get a look at them in practice with the big club, per a team source.
• No, don’t expect Travis Konecny to get moved either before the trade deadline or this summer. He made it clear in his comments earlier in the week that he’s committed to the Flyers’ plan, and considering how he’s playing lately, the Flyers have no desire to move the winger, who has a full no-trade clause though 2030-31. Not happening.
• If Denver Barkey remains with the Flyers — and at this rate, that seems highly likely — expect him to change his No. 52 before next year’s training camp. No. 86, last worn by Joel Farabee, could be one option as that’s the number Barkey wore for the OHL’s London Knights. The No. 88 he wore as kid for his favorite player, Patrick Kane, wasn’t available in London (it’s retired because of Kane), and isn’t with the Flyers either (Eric Lindros).
