Matvei Michkov is a generational offensive talent. If there’s a record he hasn’t broken yet, it’s because he hasn’t played in that league to break it. On merit and ability, he would be a shoo-in for the top 2 selections of this draft.

But the NHL and surrounding fans are doing everything they can to cloud the situation and make things about anything besides his obvious talent. It isn’t just about his KHL contract either.

At this point, the Michkov dialogue has escalated into outright slander of a child’s character based solely on him being Russian.

In Scott Wheeler’s latest post for the Athletic, he talks about scouts having problems with his on-ice selfishness that only confirm their suspicions of his character dating back to… when he yelled at a coach.

There are a million reasons to yell at a coach as a player. The Flyers employ a coach by the name of John Tortorella who literally prefers when his players openly confront him. Frankly, that combativeness might be welcome to him.

Maybe that’s why the Flyers have been talked about as one of the teams most likely to “take the risk” on Matvei Michkov. At least it might be part of the decision.

The problem? It’s far from a guarantee that Michkov will be available by the time the 7th pick comes around.

According to Frank Seravalli, this is a problem recognized by the Flyers and they’re actively taking steps to combat it. Part of the reason for consolidating all of these extra first round picks?

It’s to be in a position to be the team that trades up to take Michkov, if they get any indication that another team is looking to leapfrog them.

Is Seravalli right? I won’t try to hazard a guess. He’s typically more connected to Philly than most insiders, but draft season is the time of year where disinformation is at its most rampant. Maybe the Flyers are one of the teams who think being Russian is a character defect.

I guess we won’t know until Wednesday, right?

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