Matvei Michkov Flyers Profile

Matvei Michkov arrives in Philadelphia, who is he to the Philadelphia Flyers?

I wrote a fairly similar piece to this when it was rumored that Matvei Michkov would be terminating the remainder of his KHL contract and joining the Flyers two years before his arrival.

But it’s different now that he’s here, isn’t it? It’s all just a little bit different, words mean just a bit more, when Matvei Michkov landed stateside and was been picked up by the General Manager and President of Hockey Operations for the Philadelphia Flyers, Daniel Briere and Keith Jones.

Matvei Michkov arrives in Philadelphia

WE GOT HIM: Here’s video of Matvei Michkov arriving in Philadelphia >>

So who is Matvei Michkov? How has he created so much hype for himself that the day of his arrival is a local holiday?

He’s a unique talent for whom comparisons are universally imperfect. And there is some false impressions of just who he is as a player.

I imagine that this X post is attempting to get at that phenomenon.

Of course, “He’s not a dynamic and ultra-skilled player” is one of the more ridiculous things I’ve ever read on any subject and posted by anyone. I’m waiting for a correction or a clarification even while I type this that, somehow, isn’t coming.

“Ultra-skilled” is definitely a word I’d use to describe him, and so is “dynamic.”

One of the more important things for Matvei Michkov’s potential success in the NHL is that his skill level doesn’t end after contact. Some skilled players have this issue. Many of them, really. They have the ability to make defenders miss, but when that fails them, they are left without recourse.

That isn’t Michkov.

One of his primary skills is fighting through contact while he has possession of the puck. He’s just as dangerous when he has the puck against the wall as he is when he has the puck at the offensive blueline. And the most dangerous part of that? He chains these abilities together perfectly.

But there’s some truth to that statement. If we’re merely talking about style, then he’s approaching the right idea. Matvei Michkov, primarily, is looking to get to the net. His main objective is to create goals, and the way he does that is to create scoring chances at the net.

To that end, he’s ruthlessly efficient. He won’t start dangling when that isn’t necessary because he’s, as David said, a very cerebral player. If there’s a more direct path to the net, like simply protecting the puck and carrying it there through contact, he’ll opt for that approach. If there’s a teammate who has a more direct path to the net than him, he’ll thread a pass to that teammate.

Whatever gets the puck to, and preferably inside, the net in the most efficient route possible is his modus operandi.

If there is no immediate path to the net, he is completely capable of just creating one out of thin air. And when he’s healthy with fully functioning lungs, as wasn’t the case for most of his draft+1 season? Three KHL defenders simply aren’t enough to stop him from creating chances at the net.

This is most of his scoring game. He’s a talented shooter and a freakishly accurate one which makes him a viable threat from distance. He uses this as a sort of “cash out” option. If he feels like all paths to the net have been obstructed, and even his special routes have been closed off? Then he’ll throw a puck on net and try to score that way.

As he’s matured, he’s went to that “cash-out” option less and less. That trend will most likely continue. In the NHL, I don’t expect Michkov to score a bunch of goals from further out than the faceoff dots. What I do expect is for Michkov to be one of the very best players in the world at getting to the net.

And once he arrives at the net? He’s one of the better in-tight finishing prospects the game has seen in recent memory.

This “problem solve my way to the net” mentality makes him more like Matthew Tkachuk than Artemi Panarin. But his actual skillset, the things he leverages to get to the net, is very much akin to a Panarin or a Datsyuk.

In this way, he’s a skill player masquerading as a grinder. Or perhaps a grinder masquerading as a skill player? If it sounds like Crosby, that’s because it should.

I’m not necessarily comparing the two as players directly. They just approach creating offense in very similar ways.

Michkov will likely be one of the league’s better netfront scorers from day 1. Bedard’s shooting prowess made him one of the league’s best mid-range and high-slot scorers from day 1, because that’s what made him special.

Bedard has a nuclear weapon known as his shot, but he’s also instinctive enough to understand the threat of his shot and how it effects defenders both individually and collectively. That’s the “secret sauce” for Bedard. It’s the heart of his game. His game is built outwards from his shooting ability.

Michkov’s game is built outwardly from his freakish ability to get to the net. His combination of puck skills, agility, and sturdiness allow him to simply bully his way to the net when he has the puck. And when he’s off the puck? He beats defenders to the net simply by choosing better routes than they do and securing inside position. It’s all about getting to the net.

Bedard’s playmaking is an outlet for when teams successfully take his shot away.

Michkov’s playmaking is an outlet for when teams successfully deprive him of paths to the net. As he’s grown, he’s become more diligent and disciplined in this regard. He used to throw pucks on the net when he couldn’t get to the net as a first resort instead of a last resort. He’d occasionally score a sick goal out of it. But experience, and especially experience in pro hockey, has sharpened him.

Now? The Flyers have just imported a player who is already one of the NHL’s best at creating offense around the net for both himself and his teammates.

That’s just who he is. It’s who he’s always been. 

Mandatory Credit: Philadelphia Flyers Twitter Account

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