Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Photo Credit: Yong Kim/Philadelphia Inquirer
Matvei Michkov is a hot topic for Flyers fans throughout the entire world. It’s not every day that the Flyers have a superstar/generational talent player to talk about. As a matter of fact, this hasn’t been the case since the Eric Lindros days. Now, today, Michkov is officially a Flyer. The rugged, speedy, Forward has inked a three-year ELC with the orange and black, after Michkov had his contract terminated with SKA earlier in the day.
SKA will still own Michkov’s rights, like the Flyers own Mikhail Vorobyev’s rights, in case Vorobyev ever tried to play in the NHL again. Head Coach Roman Rotenberg had this to say on Match TV in an interview a little over a month ago, “There is no official decision yet. We can’t say that we are letting anyone go. You see this is a serious question. We can talk about some agreements, including rights. And if someone wants to buy these rights, let’s discuss.”
Basically, what Rotenberg was saying is that SKA owns the rights to Michkov’s contract, which runs through the 2025-26 season. Per Hockey News Hub, which is a credible media outlet for the KHL, the amount SKA was requesting was $400,000 to buyout the remaining two years of Michkov’s contract with SKA. That amount had to be paid by Michkov/agent directly, the Flyers could not pay for this termination.
“We invested a lot in Matvey. And if he does not become the leader of Philadelphia, then we will definitely wait for him back in the KHL. And I will emphasize that this whole story was influenced by Michkov’s family situation. We need to support him in this. This is not a hockey issue, but a family issue. And we all must support Matvey,” Rotenberg said.
Rotenberg continued, “But we want to support Matvey as a family. We want to give him the opportunity to develop. If, for example, he cannot play in the first line of Philadelphia and does not receive the first majority there, if he is sent to the AHL or even to the East Coast League, then we will do everything to ensure that Michkov returns and plays only in the KHL.”
To be accurate, this does not mean that Michkov has to play top line minutes in Philadelphia. What he’s saying is if he’s not being utilized properly in Philadelphia, thus being sent to the AHL or ECHL, then he will be returned to SKA in the KHL. SKA will still hold Michkov’s rights in the KHL, in case he ever decides to return to the KHL, as stated above.
The Flyers and Michkov had a few technicalities to work out, but in the end he is officially signed, sealed, a delivered to Philadelphia. Unfortunately, Flyers fans will not personally see Michkov until Training Camp, as he still has to work out his Visa situation, in order to come to North America. It should be resolved by the end of July, thus missing Developmental Camp next week.
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