I think it’s no coincidence that Tolvanen has the highest scoring U19 KHL season of all time (in terms of both points and goals). He’s not even remotely close to the most talented U19 KHL player ever, but he was a Finnish kid on a Finnish team, that treated him with a more Liiga style “let’s see what the kid can do” approach, than a classic KHL “grind it out for years before you get a real chance” approach.
A very large number of KHL teams/coaches simply don’t trust young players, and will never give them a serious shot. There’s also countless examples of young players moving from the KHL to the NHL, and instantly getting a much bigger role and seeing way more success, despite the NHL being a much better league, that like the KHL isn’t a development league. It’s a cultural thing with a tonne of KHL coaches, very “old school” mentality, and it’s not changing anytime soon.
It’s possible Michkov sees consistent top 6 minutes this year, but I’m not holding my breath. He’d probably get more minutes (and more prime offensive opportunities) playing for the Flyers than SKA this year, if he hadn’t signed that contract. Not because SKA are more talented/deep than the Flyers (again not even close), but simply due to cultural differences between the leagues/teams.