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For those who were worried, take a sigh of relief. The Flyers’ plan for Matvei Michkov has not changed one bit.
“Matvei is a great talent. We see him being a part of the picture for years to come, that has not changed,” said Briere on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Rick Tocchet mentioned that it was an organizational decision to scratch Michkov in favor of Jett Luchanko in Game 4 against Carolina. The Flyers were eventually eliminated. Briere mentioned some of that on Thursday.
“It’s not because he was scratched in that last game that it changes everything. The coaches wanted to put the best lineup to give them a chance to win in that last game. And you know, it’s no secret that it had been tough. Carolina is a skating team and puts a lot of pressure. There wasn’t a lot of room to create. And, you know, they decided they like to have a little bit more speed. It’s one game, and in the playoffs, you have to go with the best team that you think can let you or make you win. But it doesn’t change anything for the future.”
Surely, it was more than just speed. Michkov had not looked his best during the postseason. Briere is not worried about that. He knows that he is still a developing young talent.
“It’s not a secret. He’s made some mistakes along the way. I’ve made some mistakes in my career, and I was older than him. We forget sometimes that he just turned 21, and he’s already accomplished a lot.”
Still, Briere knows the future is still bright for the 21-year-old Flyers winger. Even in a “sophomore slump”, the 51-point, 20-goal down season, Michkov had a great impact.
“It’s really impressive what he’s done, you know, and to have such an impact that he’s had at such an early age. We don’t see that very often in the NHL, so it doesn’t change the future for him and being part of what we’re building.”
As for the Summer plan, there was a lot of talk about his offseason last year and about him coming into camp out of shape. There was some talk around mid-season about Michkov sticking around for the summer. From the sound of it, even Michkov does not know what his full summer plan is.
“He hasn’t decided yet,” said Briere. “I know he said he’s going to spend some time here. I don’t think he has a plan quite yet on exactly when and where it’s going to be, but he told us he would be here for some of the summer. Yes, he wants to make sure he’s ready to go. And we did talk about the fact that training camp next year is shorter, not a lot of time to ease into it. So that was addressed with him, and he knows he has to be ready to go right from day one in camp.”
For whatever it’s worth, Michkov hit the ice in Voorhees on both Tuesday and Wednesday. He looks ready to prove the doubters wrong.
Read More: ‘Just Let the Kid Breathe’: Tocchet Talks Michkov, the Game 4 Scratch, & His Mentality
The post Flyers GM Backs Michkov: Process, Future, & What’s Next appeared first on Philly Hockey Now.
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