Matvei Michkov has been the talk of the town since the Philadelphia Flyers announced that he would be officially arriving to the U.S. in time for the 2024-25 season, with many fans over the moon at Michkov’s abilities being added to the roster.
The excitement is well-deserved—for a player who’s only 19 years old and has had some volatile situations to contend with before setting foot in the NHL, Michkov has already displayed an abundance of skill. Not to mention that, by all accounts, he’s a workhorse whose main focus is improving in all areas of his game.
As the Flyers continue rebuilding and figuring out what their most effective lineup is, there’s been some talk that Michkov could potentially be tried out at center. It’s not an outlandish idea, seeing as he’s sporadically played the position over in the KHL, but (barring some desperate circumstances) it might not be the best move in Michkov’s first NHL season.
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He’s a winger, first and foremost, and as he makes the leap from the KHL to the NHL, it would be ideal to let him adjust without having him play a different position on top of all of the other change happening around him.
Michkov will be acclimating to a new team, new league, new country and language, and if he’s suddenly expected to change positions too, he might not produce at the level he’s capable of.
And, yes, the Flyers need centers—the team themselves has admitted as much. GM Danny Briere said that the lack of centers in the organization would have some influence on the front office’s decision-making process during this year’s NHL Draft, and has acknowledged on multiple occasions that it’s the area most in need of addressing.
But the plans have always been to address those kinds of roster issues primarily through drafting and youth development, and they didn’t draft Michkov to be a center—at least not right away.
Related: PODCAST: What Will Matvei Michkov Have To Adjust With The Flyers?
When he’s settled in and feels comfortable, however long that may take, the Flyers absolutely should try him at center just to see if that’s a position he can play well in the NHL. And if the center situation really goes to hell this upcoming season (knock wood), Michkov might need to suck up any discomfort and fill in where he’s needed. But if the Flyers want to make his transition to the U.S. as smooth and effective as possible, there’s no reason to throw him into that fire unless it’s deemed absolutely necessary.
Expectations still need to be tempered when it comes to Michkov, who has plenty of time to experiment and prove himself to anyone still skeptical of how his skills will translate to the NHL. There’s already tons of hype and, therefore, tons of pressure on his highly-capable but still teenage shoulders. Let him come into his own as a winger, and then imaginations can really run wild.
Related: Matvei Michkov Signing Changes Trajectory Of Flyers Rebuild Timeline
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