NHL: Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers — Philadelphia Flyers updated depth chart: What would lines look like after Matvei Michkov’s addition?

Philadelphia Flyers updated depth chart: What would lines look like after Matvei Michkov’s addition?

Modified Jun 23, 2024 23:21 GMT

The Philadelphia Flyers could have top prospect Matvei Michkov in the lineup this fall. According to ESPN, Michkov will be released from his KHL contract to join the Flyers next season. If that’s the case, Philly could get a considerable boost to their lineup.

Nevertheless, the big question for the Philadelphia Flyers is: Where could the club insert Michkov? The seventh overall pick from 2023 is a skilled, speedy right winger who could generate offense using his speed and smooth skating.

With that in mind, Michkov could get a look at the second line with Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost.

Such a line could look like this:

Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Matvei Michkov

That trio could make life difficult for opposing defenses, given their speed and agility. However, coach John Tortorella may feel that Michkov isn’t quite ready for a top-six role.

So, if Tortorella feels that Michkov would benefit from playing fewer minutes, Michkov could play alongside veteran Sean Couturier on the third line. Couturier had Noah Cates on the left side at times and Garnet Hathaway on the right.

That line could look like this:

Noah Cates – Sean Couturier – Matvei Michkov

Overall, playing Michkov in a middle-six role would be the wisest course of action. While there may be the temptation to play Michkov with Ryan Poehling on the top unit, Tortorella may feel that Michkov needs time to get accustomed to the North American game before becoming a full-time, top-line right winger.

The Philadelphia Flyers may be rushing Michkov

The Philadelphia Flyers appear to be rushing Michkov to the NHL. The 19-year-old still had three years left on his KHL contract in Russia. However, it appears that the Flyers and his Russian club, HC Sochi, reached an agreement that would allow Michkov to come to North America.

As ESPN described it:

"Michkov’s arrival in North America ahead of schedule would be a major boost for Philadelphia, which selected the slick, skilled, playmaking forward with the seventh pick in the 2023 draft, knowing he had three years left on his KHL contract."

With that in mind, the Philadelphia Flyers would have been wise to let Michkov play longer in Russia. The rationale is that the best path for Michkov to the NHL would be to spend some time in the AHL. But bringing Michkov from Russia to assign him to the AHL seems like time wasted.

Ultimately, Philadelphia, which seems poised to emerge from their rebuild much sooner than expected, would like to have the young, dynamic playmaker give their lineup the boost it needs.

But Philly should proceed with caution. Rushing young players to the NHL rarely goes well. As such, Michkov is almost certainly destined to play in the AHL at some point this upcoming season.