Photo Credit: The Philadelphia Flyers
Over the span of the past few weeks Matvei Michkov’s usage with SKA St Petersburg in the KHL has diminished dramatically. The 7th overall draft pick went from centering the second and third lines during the pre-season, to receiving less and less ice time in the last three outings for SKA during the pre-season. Moreover, today marks the second straight game in which Michkov has been benched in the regular season. Why now is he considered to be a limiter (13th Forward in the KHL), could this spark him to come to North America sooner than expected?
To be clear, this is actually the third healthy scratch for Michkov with SKA, as he was a healthy scratch during the August 25 pre-season game. Injury speculation immediately began, as it is very rare that a talented teenager is benched.
The KHL continues to be a frustrating league, developmental wise, for prized young prospects. Could this force Michkov and the Flyers to come to a resolution to bring him to North America sooner than expected? Stay tuned, as I will ask Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere that question at rookie camp in a few weeks. However , the Gettin Gritty Wit It Podcast featuring Yariv Wolok and Vasili Gianakaros did answer this exact question on their latest episode.
