Prospect Info: Round 1, 7th overall: Matvei Michkov, RW, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)

[Redpath]

I'm curious why Tortorella, and by extension Bobby Clarke, allowed Michkov to be drafted, given he apparently hates skill and is molding the organization's direction

 

[Beef Invictus]

Listening to Montreal TSN radio this morning was a dour-course meal of deliciousness. The moment I tuned in, the main guy was comparing Michkov's preference to the Flyers as similar to Jagr's tipping the Penguins that he would only go to them. There was much gnashing of teeth that the Habs didn't pick Michkov. Scott Wheeler (Athletic) was on to give a perspective on drafting Reinbacher and he had good things to say about him but described Michkov as a future 1st line driver who will put up 80-100 points in his prime and that this is what Gorton and the Habs will have to live with. Wheeler did allude to some shade about Michkov forcing his way onto Sochi to put up points and yelling at his coach to give him more ice time.

But, man, hearing the garment rending over the guy the Flyers drafted was a kitchenful of chefs' kisses.

Dour-course meal is the ideal typo

 

[GKJ]

Hmmm the fact that the leaks can be shut down when needed

“Everyone lies at the draft.”

The Flyers were smokescreening as many people as they could. This separated the good insiders from the bad. There were the pros and then amateurs, and you can tell who is who.

 

[BernieParent]

Dour-course meal is the ideal typo

Lol, too quick for me, Beef. I just changed that! Stupid phone! Stupid big thumbs! Please beat them both up at your convenience.

 

[Redpath]

ASF on STG is confirming that the Michkov meeting was the reason the Skate Zone went dark last week. ASF then extrapolates that to meaning that Michkov "ghosted" Arizona because he wanted to play in Philadelphia.

 

[chadateit]

As anticlimactic as the Bonk pick was, I'm still over the moon with the idea of Michkov coming here. One of the best things about it is that he slots our other prospects and younger guys in more appropriately. Gauthier looks much better when he isn't our top guy. Foerster developing into a 2nd liner and Farabee becoming a decent 2nd liner doesn't seem like such a reach. Tippet can be an energy 3rd liner, where he belongs, instead of some scoring when fed way too many minutes. We still need a legit #1C (I think Gauthier is a winger), and obviously we are a disaster on the blueline still.

We desperately need to bottom out these next couple years and draft at volume near the top of the draft, but I think we got the hardest piece, in a legit gamebreaking talent.

 

[GKJ]

ASF on STG is confirming that the Michkov meeting was the reason the Skate Zone went dark last week. ASF then extrapolates that to meaning that Michkov "ghosted" Arizona because he wanted to play in Philadelphia.

Also didn’t meet with CBJ

 

[Stumble40]

We will need to get a russian veteran to help acclimate the kid to NA

 

[Random Forest]

Curious what everyone’s career expectations are with Michkov. He obviously has a ceiling that basically no one else but Bedard has, but what’s his median outcome if you run the simulation of his career a thousand times? EG:

5% of the time, maybe you get a player with the career impact of Malkin
20% of the time, you get a player with the career impact of Kucherov
25% of the time, you get a player with the career impact of Kessel
etc

The odds are against most players becoming franchise players, so I’m having a tough time calibrating what I would consider “disappointment” at the end of the day given the sheer talent. It feels like a Phil Kessel outcome would be disappointing even though that type of player would be a homerun at 7th overall.

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

I'm curious why Tortorella, and by extension Bobby Clarke, allowed Michkov to be drafted, given he apparently hates skill and is molding the organization's direction

I believe that in both Torts' and Clarke's contract it is stated that they are only allowed to be involved in unpopular moves.

We will need to get a russian veteran to help acclimate the kid to NA

What's Kovalchuk up to these days???

 

[JojoTheWhale]

As anticlimactic as the Bonk pick was, I'm still over the moon with the idea of Michkov coming here. One of the best things about it is that he slots our other prospects and younger guys in more appropriately. Gauthier looks much better when he isn't our top guy. Foerster developing into a 2nd liner and Farabee becoming a decent 2nd liner doesn't seem like such a reach. Tippet can be an energy 3rd liner, where he belongs, instead of some scoring when fed way too many minutes. We still need a legit #1C (I think Gauthier is a winger), and obviously we are a disaster on the blueline still.

We desperately need to bottom out these next couple years and draft at volume near the top of the draft, but I think we got the hardest piece, in a legit gamebreaking talent.

None of this is wrong, nor do I disagree with it. Michkov’s talent is undeniable and it sparked hope in me for the first time in years.

I wish I could tell you my personal interest level in the season and really the franchise wasn’t tied to the rest of this week. But it is. It’s harsh to say that taking Michkov was an easy decision given that they’ve consistently failed those tests for years now. But it was. Now I read reports of him refusing to meet with multiple teams above them. They still did it. They also had some help.

Any pick can bust. Any pick can boom. I just want to look back on the week’s acquisitions as a whole and think they get what it takes to build a contender. The bar is still just doing enough to let me talk myself into caring. And yet they’ve been so incompetent from top to bottom for so long that making the best possible draft pick isn’t enough. I need a plan that makes sense. Show me the margins are important and well considered.

 

[Larry44]

Thought this too… that being said, he kind of said he really wanted to be a Flyer a lot… cool to hear

MM said he wanted to be a Flyer, so he clearly saw Gauthier’s presser last year! Love that Bill Armstrong said he was a ghost. “No one’s seen him.” Well, he went to Philly, LOL!

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/arizo...le-out-possibility-of-drafting-matvei-michkov

 

[Curufinwe]

We will need to get a russian veteran to help acclimate the kid to NA

Ovechkin is a FA in 2026.

 

[Beef Invictus]

“Everyone lies at the draft.”

The Flyers were smokescreening as many people as they could. This separated the good insiders from the bad. There were the pros and then amateurs, and you can tell who is who.

I think it also affirms the team has been leaking on purpose to drum up attention

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

I think it also affirms the team has been leaking on purpose to drum up attention

While with Chuck in charge, shit was leaked because they were baffled by the stupidity of him and his crew.

 

[chadateit]

None of this is wrong, nor do I disagree with it. Michkov’s talent is undeniable and it sparked hope in me for the first time in years.

I wish I could tell you my personal interest level in the season and really the franchise wasn’t tied to the rest of this week. But it is. It’s harsh to say that taking Michkov was an easy decision given that they’ve consistently failed those tests for years now. But it was. Now I read reports of him refusing to meet with multiple teams above them. They still did it. They also had some help.

Any pick can bust. Any pick can boom. I just want to look back on the week’s acquisitions as a whole and think they get what it takes to build a contender. The bar is still just doing enough to let me talk myself into caring. And yet they’ve been so incompetent from top to bottom for so long that making the best possible draft pick isn’t enough. I need a plan that makes sense. Show me the margins are important and well considered.

Don't get me wrong. I know he is no garauntee. But he also is the most talented player (on paper) that we've had since Lindros. If (and I know it's a big if) he hits, he has the talent to really build a team around. That gives me hope for the first time in a long time. Of course, he's only one piece - but the one piece I didn't see an avenue to acquire.

I have been following this team for enough decades to know what a disaster our "culture" and management has been (and potentially still is). My interest this season is much less in the product on the ice, and much more in what management does with assets like Hart, Laughton, and Koneckny. I was hopeful, but never particularly optimistic that lots of moves would happen leading up to this draft. It's quite possible that all of the leaks were pure garbage in terms of what was really going on.

If these assets don't move this week, it's not the end of the world, but if at least 2 are still here by the TDL, I'll likely have lost all of the goodwill offering of faith I've allowed Briere, Jones, and gang.

 

[wankstifier]

There’s no reason to suspect tampering, right? This is an actual good thing for the Flyers that can’t be taken away?

 

[Embiid]

At this point nothing would surprise me bc Michkov just falling in our laps is too good to be true....

 

[BrindamoursNose]

There’s no reason to suspect tampering, right? This is an actual good thing for the Flyers that can’t be taken away?

I don't think so, no. I mean prospects can decline meetings with whomever they want. Usually it just hurts their draft stock - which it did here - but in a way he wanted.

Honestly the best news maybe from all of this is that SOMEONE of note wants to come to Philly over other locations. Haven't heard that in a while.

 

[TheKingPin]

Regarding torts and Michkov: This guy holds ALL the cards. If Torts does not build a system around Michkov, he’s gone. Michkov is set to be a franchise player and may be a flyers great.

So, I think Torts is gone before Michkov gets here. I thought that before last night too.

 

[TCTC]

Curious what everyone’s career expectations are with Michkov. He obviously has a ceiling that basically no one else but Bedard has, but what’s his median outcome if you run the simulation of his career a thousand times? EG:

5% of the time, maybe you get a player with the career impact of Malkin
20% of the time, you get a player with the career impact of Kucherov
25% of the time, you get a player with the career impact of Kessel
etc

The odds are against most players becoming franchise players, so I’m having a tough time calibrating what I would consider “disappointment” at the end of the day given the sheer talent. It feels like a Phil Kessel outcome would be disappointing even though that type of player would be a homerun at 7th overall.

Who's the best comparable style-wise? Kucherov? Kane?
What would his draft position have been last year or the year before and without the contract issue?
If you compare him to 1st OA picks in recent years, where does he rank?

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Don't get me wrong. I know he is no garauntee. But he also is the most talented player (on paper) that we've had since Lindros. If (and I know it's a big if) he hits, he has the talent to really build a team around. That gives me hope for the first time in a long time. Of course, he's only one piece - but the one piece I didn't see an avenue to acquire.

I have been following this team for enough decades to know what a disaster our "culture" and management has been (and potentially still is). My interest this season is much less in the product on the ice, and much more in what management does with assets like Hart, Laughton, and Koneckny. I was hopeful, but never particularly optimistic that lots of moves would happen leading up to this draft. It's quite possible that all of the leaks were pure garbage in terms of what was really going on.

If these assets don't move this week, it's not the end of the world, but if at least 2 are still here by the TDL, I'll likely have lost all of the goodwill offering of faith I've allowed Briere, Jones, and gang.

Oh he is absolutely the most talented player in the org since Lindros. I don’t think that’s a shred of hyperbole. I should have made that more clear. My apologies.

For me personally, it’s not whether they sell off player X or Y. It’s a composite picture of what they value in hockey players as an organization and how they approach the concept of asset building. I’m likely to worry more about the player they draft in Round 4 than whether Laughton goes this week.

I’m not the biggest believer that you absolutely must tank. I do think not doing so is a significantly more difficult road to take. Someone, somewhere is capable enough to do that. The people in charge of the Flyers haven’t been. Separate issues.

 

[Embiid]

Good tidbits in there about Michkov's motivations..

Rebuilding Flyers willing to be patient with top pick Matvei Michkov of Russia

The Philadelphia Flyers are in rebuilding mode.

www.seattletimes.com

 

[chadateit]

Oh he is absolutely the most talented player in the org since Lindros. I don’t think that’s a shred of hyperbole. I should have made that more clear. My apologies.

For me personally, it’s not whether they sell off player X or Y. It’s a composite picture of what they value in hockey players as an organization and how they approach the concept of asset building. I’m likely to worry more about the player they draft in Round 4 than whether Laughton goes this week.

I’m not the biggest believer that you absolutely must tank. I do think not doing so is a significantly more difficult road to take. Someone, somewhere is capable enough to do that. The people in charge of the Flyers haven’t been. Separate issues.

I don't think you and I believe much differently on any of this. I am just enjoying having a brief moment to believe that the light at the end of the tunnel might not be an oncoming train. I'm hoping that the front office does more to gain my faith, but Michkov is a better first step than I expected - especially considering it seems like he was their guy all along, and that they've been working on it for a while behind the scenes.

 

[Embiid]

So I have the KHL channel with my streaming service....all in Russian so can't understand shit but anybody have familiarity with it and where I can find a schedule with Michkov's games so I can watch him in these next 3 years?

@Appleyard

Edit: I think I found what I need but not sure what will be televised and when

Standings - 2023/2024 - Regular season | Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)

en.khl.ru

Welp..just explored the site for televised schedule..can't read it though!

KHL / KHL Prime - TV schedule | Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)

Today's, tomorrow's and weekly TV schedule for KHL / KHL Prime

en.khl.ru