Matvei Michkov’s ice time is a eal head-scratcher. Michkov is clearly the Flyers’ most dangerous player right now—he’s leading the team with 6 goals (plus 1 assist for 7 points) through the first 11 games of 2026-27, with a ridiculous shooting percentage, and he just scored twice in a 3-2 win over Colorado.
Yet his ice time keeps hovering around 14–15 minutes a night (season average roughly 14:51). Last night against the Avalanche he played just 14:37 total (about 12:46 at 5-on-5), and even career AHLers/rookies like Jacob Gaucher and Cole Knuble logged comparable or higher even-strength minutes while he was producing. Recent games have been in that same range: 14:29, 13:40, 14:46, etc.
“I feel good on the ice. I want to play, I want to support team more,” Michkov said last night.
This has been a recurring theme under Rick Tocchet—defensive details, turnovers, short shifts, and usage decisions have limited him even when the offense is flowing. Fans (and some coverage) have been pointing out that a guy driving play and scoring at this rate should be pushing closer to top-line/PP1 minutes more consistently, especially on a team that struggled early. When he’s on the ice, things happen; the minutes just aren’t matching the impact yet.Frustrating to watch when he’s this hot.
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