RW Matvei Michkov (2023, 7th, PHI) Part 4

Status
Not open for further replies.

Schooner Guy

Registered User
Jun 23, 2006
13,923
14,012
Tell us more
OK. He got drafted 7th overall. Six teams passed on him. Another Russian players, Simashev, even went ahead of him. Meanwhile other NHL teams tried to trade up for the #5 pick so they could take Reinbacher.

And then he went on to score at a higher rate than anyone on SKA while having a pneumonia-plagued season as a 19 year old.

Sounds like we shouldn't be trusting who SKA decides to make their team.
What was SKA's record vs Sochi's record? Huge pressure to win for SKA and them not thinking he could help them win two years in a row despite the production you mentioned tells us a lot. And now they released him out of his contract.
 

Hinterland

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Sep 29, 2016
12,592
6,275
And then he went on to score at a higher rate than anyone on SKA while having a pneumonia-plagued season as a 19 year old.

Sounds like we shouldn't be trusting who SKA decides to make their team.
Nobody ever doubted Michkov's ability to make plays and put up points. It's his game against the puck that's questioned by many and ultimately gonna decide how good he's gonna be at NHL level.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Schooner Guy

Redpath

Registered User
Sep 30, 2011
3,428
5,314
What was SKA's record vs Sochi's record? Huge pressure to win for SKA and them not thinking he could help them win two years in a row despite the production you mentioned tells us a lot. And now they released him out of his contract.

Yes, it does tell us a lot. Just not about Michkov.

Nobody ever doubted Michkov's ability to make plays and put up points. It's his game against the puck that's questioned by many and ultimately gonna decide how good he's gonna be at NHL level.

"Sure he has elite production, but what can this 19 year old offensive dynamo do off the puck?" is the kind of hockey-brained mentality that deserves to be lambasted, not taken as some sort of authority.
 

enthuuusiast

Grossly Incandescent
May 14, 2023
38
47
Philadelphia
I found that highly bizarre because, while Michkov can score any way you want it, I think one of his best assets will be his ability to drive and sustain offensive zone possession.

The Flyers played a rush-centric game because their entire approach is built around chasing (deep forecheck, creating turnovers by crashing in their corners or containing/blocking shots in your own zone, rather than trying to read breakouts) and because they have maybe 3 forwards (Frost, Brink, Farabee) who can competently identify more than one passing option at any given time.

Not to drag this back to the despair hole, but they played a rush-centric offense because they play dumb hockey and employ a lot of dumb hockey players: Tippett, for instance, is all strong legs and wrists, no eyes or brain. Skate fast, shoot. Start an offensive zone cycle and he's gonna bury it in the goalie's logo or turn it over immediately. If that was Torts strategy, then fire him twice—to me, playing how they did was really their only option for winning games, but it's absolutely retrograde and unsustainable.
This. The Flyers literally have maybe 3 players that can identify any sort of passing lane beyond what is directly in front of them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rich Nixon

Faceboner

Registered User
Jan 6, 2022
2,016
1,434
Incredibly pumped that the Flyers managed to not f*** something up for a change, but I am not excited that he has to deal with Torts for at least his first season. However, I am excited that Michkov will eventually get Torts fired.
I feel like Torts might actually do good with him and help grow michkov all around without hampering his offensive ceiling he'll probably iron out the things players/younger guys can't get away with at the NHL level but he'll likely figure out how to pull that off too cause talent is immense
 
  • Like
Reactions: FlyguyOX

Kshahdoo

Registered User
Mar 23, 2008
20,456
10,240
Moscow, Russia
Where did I say Torts would run Michkov off?

I said he's try to ruin him and jerk him around...which the list of top players Tortorella has had beef with is a VERY long list. Can make an All-Star squad with that list. He's a fine coach, but he isn't a good coach.

Tortorella is a dope and I hate that Michkov has to be near him. Can't wait until we drop him.

Russian sport culture is different. Kids are taught the main rules:

1. Coach is always right
2. Coach never does mistakes
3. If coach is wrong, see #1.

Sure conflicts are possible, but it should be very special cases.
 
Last edited:

BrindamoursNose

Registered User
Oct 14, 2008
20,408
14,556
Russian sport culture is different. Kids are taught the main rules:

1. Coach is always right
2. Coach never does mistakes
3. If coach is wrong, see #1.

Sure conflicts are possible, but it should be very special cases.

Are their coaches raving lunatics who try to fist fight their players in 2024?
 

Wats

Error 520
Mar 8, 2006
42,240
6,996
OK. He got drafted 7th overall. Six teams passed on him. Another Russian players, Simashev, even went ahead of him. Meanwhile other NHL teams tried to trade up for the #5 pick so they could take Reinbacher.


What was SKA's record vs Sochi's record? Huge pressure to win for SKA and them not thinking he could help them win two years in a row despite the production you mentioned tells us a lot. And now they released him out of his contract.
Yikes, you'd think by this post Montreal didn't pass on Brady Tkachuk and Morgan Rielly for Kotkaniemi and Galchenyuk. Just because a team passes up on a player high on the draft, doesn't mean they are right. Montreal and Arizona have some masterclass examples of taking wrong guy in top 10.

Let's wait and see what they do in NHL before trying to close this case as all the teams made right choice passing on Michkov.
 

Dr Jablonski PhD

Registered User
Sep 7, 2016
425
637
Kitchener, ON
Just my opinion but his explosiveness last Fall, at the start of the season, was higher than at any point in his draft year. His lack of explosiveness is an issue, or at least was in his draft year and most of D+1 (maybe because of pneumonia).

I agree with the first part, but also his explosiveness in his draft year was good. My pinned tweet from his game against Severstal on October 5th was probably the most skilled play he made all season, and it involved a good bit of explosiveness. Then the energy level in his skating went downhill after he started missing time with illness

 
  • Like
Reactions: Wats and FlyguyOX
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad