Offensive talent
Michkov could very well be the best offensive talent the Flyers have had in years. You would have to go back to the years of Eric Lindros and Bobby Clarke. He has the kind of puck skills that can give goaltenders fits. Michkov also has the set of hands to dangle around defensemen and boasts tremendous finishing talent. These are skills that the Flyers have been desperate for. Will he be the reason the Flyers reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-2020 season?
Riley Armstrong, director of player development, says the most impressive thing about Michkov has been his coachability.
“The one thing that I’ve talked to him [about] throughout the last year is understanding when you’re playing in the NHL and you’re playing for ‘Torts,’ is just understanding the other side of the puck as well,” Armstrong told NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman. “During the course of the season, I even showed clips to Danny [Briere] of him blocking shots, of him backchecking hard.”
He then elaborated on his points.
“Those little things like that,” Armstrong said, “that I was trying to get into him, it’s like, ‘Hey, if you want to play here and you want to be an impact player, you have to play 200 feet in North America, you have to play 200 feet in the NHL, to kind of be that all-around player.’ I’ve seen him kind of buy into that already being over there and playing like that.”
Hockey IQ
Although Michkov is only 19 years old and hasn’t played in the NHL yet, you can tell that he already has the hockey IQ of any NHLer. Having an IQ in hockey means players anticipating the opponent’s moves, reacting quickly and adapting to the situation, as well as understanding the game, making tape-to-tape passes and turning the tables of the game. Flyers fans will get the chance to see the IQ that Michkov plays with this season.
With John Tortorella as the coach, he expects young players like Michkov and Jett Luchanko to make mistakes early. He wants his players to hold themselves accountable in every game. Tortorella wants his players to learn from their bad plays and make up for it next shift.
High expectations
It’s normal for Flyers fans to have low expectations for the season. As they are going through a rebuilding phase, fans don’t expect the team to reach the playoffs for a while. However, they should have high expectations for Michkov. He has what it takes to succeed in the NHL and has already shown some of his skill in the preseason, when he played in four preseason games and tallied three goals and four assists. Flyers fans have to hope this play carries over to the regular season.
