Matvei Michkov has been the talk of the town since the Philadelphia Flyers announced he would officially arrive in the US in time for the 2024-25 season, with many fans amazed at Michkov’s skills being added to the roster.
The excitement is well deserved – for a player who is just 19 years old and has had to face some volatile situations before setting foot in the NHL, Michkov has already demonstrated a lot of skill. Not to mention that, by all accounts, he is a workhorse whose main focus is improving in all areas of the game.
As the Flyers continue to rebuild and figure out what their most effective lineup is, there have been rumors that Michkov could potentially be tested at center. It’s not a strange idea given that he has sporadically played the position in the KHL, but (barring some desperate circumstances) it might not be the best move in Michkov’s first season in the NHL.
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He’s a winger first and foremost, and as he makes the jump from the KHL to the NHL, it would be ideal to let him adjust without him playing a different position on top of all the other changes happening around him.
Michkov will be adapting to a new team, new league, new country and language, and if he suddenly changes positions too, he may not produce at the level he is capable of.
And, yes, the Flyers need centers – the team itself admitted as much. GM Danny Briere has said the organization’s lack of centers would have some bearing on the front office’s decision-making process during this year’s NHL Draft, and has acknowledged on multiple occasions that it is the area that most needs to be addressed.
But the plans were always to address these kinds of roster issues primarily through draft and youth development, and they didn’t draft Michkov to be a center — at least not right away.
Related: PODCAST: What will Matvei Michkov have to adjust with the leaflets?
Once he’s settled in and feels comfortable, however long that takes, the Flyers should try him at center, just to see if that’s a position he can play well in the NHL. And if the core situation really goes to hell this coming season (knock on wood), Michkov may need to absorb any discomfort and fill in where needed. But if the Flyers want to make his transition to the U.S. as smooth and effective as possible, there’s no reason to throw him into that fire unless it’s deemed absolutely necessary.
Expectations still need to be tempered when it comes to Michkov, who has plenty of time to experiment and prove himself to anyone who is still skeptical about how his skills will translate to the NHL. There is already a lot of enthusiasm and therefore a lot of pressure on their highly capable but still teenage shoulders. Let him become a winger, and then imagination can really run wild.
Related: Matvei Michkov’s Signature Changes Trajectory of Pamphlets by Reconstructing Timeline
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