Matvei Michkov is finally beginning to heat up offensively at a time the Flyers need it most.
In an 82-game (soon to be 84-game) NHL season, a 13-game sample size is a largely insignificant blip on the radar in the grand scheme. But for the Philadelphia Flyers, a 13-game sample size was all it took for the club’s famously traumatized fan base to declare a state of emergency.
Matvei Michkov, the Flyers’ prized Russian winger and face of their rebuild, looked like a shell of himself to start the campaign. The 20-year-old, less than a year removed from logging 26 goals and 63 points as a rookie, managed to light the lamp just once in the Flyers’ first 13 games of the season.
Naturally, even some of the Flyers’ most aggressive supporters began to sound alarm bells, especially after word got out that Michkov entered training camp out of shape due to a summer of inactivity (largely thanks to an offseason ankle injury).
Michkov wasn’t scoring. He didn’t have his legs going. He just didn’t look like Michkov.
Well, that’s changing.
Now 16 games into the season, Michkov has found the back of the net in three consecutive games, and while it’s exciting to see his scoring numbers rise, it’s his overall play that’s
Look no further than his goal against the Ottawa Senators Saturday afternoon as evidence of this.
A case can be made that Michkov, despite his young age, is already the Flyers’ best player, so this gradual return to form comes as a colossal relief. Still, Michkov is averaging less than 15 minutes of ice time per night, which isn’t exactly a positive indication of a head coach’s faith in a player’s overall performance.
Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet also hasn’t had much of a choice, though. For much of the season’s early going, Michkov wasn’t just looking out of sorts — he was a legitimate liability at times.
Tocchet admitted that Michkov was “behind the eight ball” to start the season, but he has also acknowledged the progress he’s seen from the 2023 seventh overall pick. And with goals in three straight, Michkov is beginning to earn more of Tocchet’s trust.
In Wednesday night’s loss against the Edmonton Oilers, Michkov earned 16:05 of time on ice — the most ice time he’s seen in a game in nearly a month. Sixteen minutes still isn’t optimal for a player of Michkov’s caliber, but it’s at least a step in the right direction.
Given his hot hand, it’s hard to argue with the uptick in ice time.
Against Edmonton, Michkov scored the Flyers’ only goal of the night with a beauty on the power play that tied the game at one goal apiece late in the second period. It was Michkov at his best — finding open ice, identifying a shooting lane, and ripping the puck through with accuracy.
For a goal-scoring savant like Michkov, it should come as no surprise that his shooting has been a primary focus in practices as of late.
“[Michkov] has been working on that downhill shot. He shoots a million pucks,” Tocchet told the media after Wednesday night’s game.
“It was a great shot, but it was a great placement. And he works on that every day. Gotta give the kid credit. It was a hell of a goal.”
Michkov isn’t just passing the eye test either. The numbers are also reflecting his upward trajectory.
In October, his 5-on-5 play-driving numbers left much to be desired, to say the least. But in November, he’s been playing like the offensive spark plug fans were expecting at the start of the campaign. Over the Flyers’ last six games, Michkov is leading the team (minimum 30 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time) with a 58.35 Expected Goals For percentage — a significant increase from his 50.31 xGF% over the first 10 games of the year. To boot, his less-than-desirable 46.46 5-on-5 Corsi For percentage from October has soared to a whopping 60.16 since November 1.
Michkov has been noticeable all season, but not always in a good way. Now, he’s impossible to miss for all the right reasons.
Granted, Michkov isn’t completely out of the woods yet. His play away from the puck is still very much a work in progress, although no one will ever be mistaking him for a Selke candidate. But for the time being, Michkov continues to build momentum offensively. And for a team that’s averaging just 2.17 goals per game since November 1 (29th in the NHL), they’ll take all the goals they can get.
“We’ve got to be better, plain and simple. There’s no excuse for where we are right now. We need to hold ourselves accountable and make the necessary changes, because this isn’t acceptable.”
— Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres Forward
Buffalo Sabres fans, brace yourselves: change is coming. After yet another brutal defeat — a 5-2 loss to Utah followed by a 6-2 drubbing by the Colorado Avalanche — it’s clear that this team is nowhere near the contender they were supposed to be this season. And for fans who’ve waited 14 years for a playoff spot, the latest string of losses is a hard pill to swallow. With Buffalo’s record now at a dismal
Sabres in Crisis Mode: A Season on the Brink
The loss to the Avalanche capped off a disastrous five-game losing streak, with
The truth is, the Sabres have been in this situation for far too long. The fans are fed up, and even the players are starting to admit what’s been painfully obvious:
The End of the Line for Adams and Ruff?
At this point, there is no denying that accountability must fall on both
As Tuch stated, “There’s no excuse for where we are right now.” The Sabres have been left behind in a rapidly advancing NHL, and with another playoff-less season on the horizon, it’s time for ownership to act.
The Roster Shake-Up: Who’s Safe and Who’s Not?
But it’s not just the front office and coaching staff that needs to change. With this current Sabres team showing no signs of getting it together, nearly
The Sabres need to shed their past — and that means moving out players who aren’t contributing to the rebuild. It’s a painful reality, but every player needs to be held accountable
for this team’s continued failure. It’s no longer about potential or promises — it’s about delivering results, and if you’re not part of the solution, you’ll be part of the problem.
Buffalo’s Road to Redemption: How to Fix the Sabres?
So, what now for Buffalo? The road to redemption starts with tough decisions. Kevyn Adams will need to make bold moves to reshape the roster, bringing in fresh talent to bolster the lineup. The Sabres’ defense needs a complete overhaul, and the goaltending situation is looking more desperate by the day. The team can no longer afford to let mediocrity slip by — it’s time to build a
This won’t be an easy fix, but with the right moves, Buffalo could finally start to dig itself out of this hole. The fans deserve a competitive team, and the Sabres owe it to themselves to deliver.
Can the Sabres Turn It Around?
There’s no sugar-coating it — the Sabres’ current path is not sustainable. Another year of misery for Buffalo fans will simply not do. As the Sabres face the harsh reality of their worst season in recent memory, one thing is clear: the status quo cannot continue. The front office and coaching staff need to make bold, immediate changes. The future of the Buffalo Sabres depends on it.
The time for change is now — and for the first time in years, it feels like the Sabres have no choice but to start fresh.