VOORHEES, NJ – Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov addressed the media on Tuesday at the Flyers Training Center. He said a lot, some of which went with what he did not say.
Before getting too far into the opinions and analysis of the press conference, here are some of the highlights from Tuesday.
When asked about how he saw his season, he sort of chuckled and said, “Hard question. No comment.” He was then asked about how he felt down the stretch, where he said, “You saw what happened before [the break] and after.”
Michkov recognized that there were tough playoff games, but also said, “We could have played Carolina a bit better.”
When asked about whether there was any clarity on his Round 2 Game 4 healthy scratch, Michkov said, “It was a coach’s decision. I am a player who should go on the ice and do my job. If the coach decides that I have to miss the game, I have to take it. I have to go back on the ice and train.”
The relationship between Michkov and Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet has been under a microscope all season. Michkov himself said that it’s “A simple working relationship; a good relationship.”
A lot was asked about what he will be focusing on this summer regarding his training, whether it comes from him or the organization. He did not quite have an understanding of the questions through translator Slava Kuznetsov, but said, “I will put in the work. Next year, I plan to be better than I was after the Olympic Break.” He mentioned a meeting on Thursday where the organization will explain what they want to see
You could tell that Michkov is hungry for better, following his press conference on Tuesday.
He said that he plans to get to work immediately, like, right after the exit interviews.
He was asked about his hot end to the season that cooled off in the playoffs. You could tell that Michkov was disappointed, but recognized some causes, and knows he will be fine. “In the playoffs the whole team plays really good. I was trying to help in defense and do what the coach told me. What the coach told me to do, that’s what I was trying to do. It was my first playoffs, and I can’t say it was easy. I’m a player that a team expects me to score and make plays. But at the end of it, it’s 8 games with one assist, and that was a fluke.”
With that, Michkov got a taste for the playoffs. He knows what it’s like. Now he wants to go further. “Next season, we want to go further than the second round. This season was the first round, and we passed it. We tasted playoffs really good. Next season, we need to go even further so the progress will show. Every player has to work harder to make that happen.”
When talking about the fans and the added motivation from them, Michkov said, “Unreal atmosphere. I saw a lot of kids wearing my No. 39. I’m a bit ashamed I could not score for them in the playoffs. Thank you to the fans. We play for them.”
There surely was a lot to look at from Michkov’s exit interview. For me, there were two massive takeaways, and each of them was positive.
I thought Michkov, the 21-year-old in his sophomore season, showed a lot of personality through his time addressing the media on Tuesday. He seemed to chuckle a lot and showed some sarcasm.
He interacted with a reporter, showing a sort of swagger or charisma, asking, “Did you think I wasn’t ready after the Olympic break?”
Was it all good? Not necessarily. But what I noticed was that there were no rehearsed answers. To me, Michkov spoke his own thoughts and opinions. That’s what makes some of his other answers even more encouraging.
Did he have the season anyone had hoped for? No. But a 20-goal, 51-point “sophomore slump” is certainly not bad.
Still, you could tell that he is driven to be better. He wants to be better; he knows he has to be. Oftentimes, those words come off as a hockey cliche. It can sound like an automated response. But, with how genuine he sounded on Tuesday, you have to take his comments as a sign of encouraging things to come.
I thought Matvei Michkov showed personality and a want to be better, two things you want to see in a 21-year-old rising star.
Read More: Flyers, Owen Tippett Reveal Injury That Kept Him Out of Round 2
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