Daniel Briere's 'special' Matvei Michkov take will excite Flyers fans

01/06/2025 08:05 PM

Philadelphia Flyers rookie forward Matvei Michkov was recently benched by hard-nosed coach John Tortorella for the third period of a recent game, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing at his best levels.

While joining TSN’s Overdrive segment for a live phone call, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere explained that not only is he impressed with how Michkov responded to being benched by Tortorella, but that he wants to play in the big moments even at just 19 years of age, via TSN.

“What I’ve been impressed with Matvei is how he reacted to the benching and reacted to missing a few shifts or being challenged in front of his teammates,” Briere said. “He responded, he’s got a special character in a good way. He’s ultra competitive – when he was younger, we heard rumors that he was a bad teammate. But I think part of it is that he didn’t know how to channel it, how to tell his teammates they needed to work harder at the same level as him.”

“So he’s maturing, but what’s really impressive is how he answers the bell. Already at his age, he’s not afraid of the big moments,” Briere continued. “He actually welcomes the big times in a game where he can make a difference, and he believes he’s there to make a difference. That’s not something you teach, you have it or you don’t. You’re afraid of the moment or you’re not. So far at 19, it’s impressive that he has that and feels confident enough to want to be a difference maker every game.”

Michkov and the Flyers host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center; puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM EST.

Matvei Michkov was drafted by the Flyers with the seventh pick in the 2023 NHL Draft

A native of Perm, Russia, Michkov made his professional debut in his homeland by suiting up for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. He’s now in his first season playing in North America and has already demonstrated that he has all the skills necessary to be an effective NHL player for years.

In the 38 games he’s played in so far in 2024-25, Michkov has scored 12 goals with 17 assists; he’s on pace to reach 59 points, which would put him in the conversation for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie for 2024-25.

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