Michkov and Tortorella not Michkov or Tortorella

Social media has a way of breaking down civility when it comes to hashing out differences in opinion. It’s not unlike getting into it with a clerk or teller who is encased behind bullet proof glass. I’m not condoning random acts of violence or anything like that, but discourse does tend to remain a bit more civilized when there’s that outside chance that you’re going to get punched in the face if you say the wrong thing.

That being said, things tend to get blown out of proportion online more often than not. Everything is the end of the world and totally unprecedented. Sometimes facts fall by the wayside when emotions take over. So with the Flyers are still on break this week for the 4 Nations tournament how bout we turn down the heat for a few minutes and take an objective look at one of the internet’s favorite subjects.

Matvei Michkov and John Tortorella

You may be under the impression that the conversation is Michkov or Tortorella but it shouldn’t be. They are both on the same team and have the same goal in mind. Their ideas about how to get there may differ at times and that’s ok. In fact that should be expected when the discussion is taking place between a coach with 1,604 NHL games under his belt and a 20 year old rookie who has played in 55 of those games. And just to further complicate the conversation they speak two different languages. But these are two smart, competitive, passionate guys and they should be able to figure it out.

Common Ground

One thing almost everyone can agree on is that Michkov has the potential to become a bona fide NHL superstar some day. This is what makes the him such precious cargo. He’s got speed, great hands, a ton of creativity, and up until a few months ago zero NHL experience. Having his development in their hands is a huge responsibility for the Flyers organization and coaching staff. Potential can become a weight around a player’s neck when it’s not brought to fruition.

In Michkov’s case the ceiling is believed to be very high. A young player with his skills could easily coast through the early part of his career simply by standing out among his teammates. Over the years plenty of first round picks have gotten away with doing just that. The Flyers can not allow this talented rookie to fall through the cracks.

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If Michkov puts in all the hard work and continues to learn throughout his development the sky’s the limit. He should not be judged in comparison to other players. He has a gift. The only way to find out just how gifted he may possibly be is by giving him the tools and the inspiration to push himself to his personal best. Giving him a pass due to his natural talent would be doing him and his team a gigantic disservice.

It’s not uncommon to hear veteran players who have played under Tortorella say that they wish he had been their coach when they were younger. They could have utilized his valuable lessons throughout their entire career. Tortorella and the Flyers have to walk that fine line of pushing Michkov to his full potential without accidentally breaking his spirit and individuality.

“I’m not going to fail him by cowering away from situations that people may second guess”. “We’re going to do it the right way with this kid because we think he’s something special”. -Flyers head coach John Tortorella

Ice Time

A whole lot of time and energy has been spent talking about Michkov’s “time on ice”. Frustrated fans accuse Tortorella of underusing him or punishing him by withholding ice time. Sure, Torts is known to give some of his best players a ride on the pines every so often to get his point across. But, as far as Michkov’s average time on ice? A deep dive shows that it’s actually nothing out of the ordinary for a rookie at his level.

Matvei Michkov has been averaging 16:03 TOI with 36 points over the 55 games he has played so far this season. That ranks him 3rd in the NHL for rookie ice time. Only two other rookie NHL players have seen more TOI than Michkov this year. Macklin Celebrini (40 points) has played an average of 19:42 over 45 games. Lane Hutson (41 points) has been averaging 22:31 over 56 games, but he is also a defenseman and they tend to see more time on ice than forwards do as a rule.

Consider these rookie stats; at 19 years of age Brady Tkachuk racked up 45 points playing 16:01 per game in his rookie season. Matthew Tkachuk 48 points at 14:40 TOI. Nick Suzuki 41 points 15:59 average time on ice. Autston Matthews racked up 69 points in 82 games averaging 17:38 TOI in his first NHL season. Cutter Gautheir is averaging 14:17. You get my point. Nothing is beyond discussion but Michkov’s time on ice is not the hot button issue many are making it out to be.

Seasoning

It will be interesting to see how Michkov hits the ice after this two week NHL break is over. No one is being heavy handed about it but there has been an underlying theme that part of what affects his ice time is his stamina. A couple weeks break could do him some good. You hear about how hard it is for a young player to adapt to the NHL’s schedule and challenges both physically and mentally.

Michkov was a point per game guy over the course of the first 27 games of this season and then his productivity slowed. He was a healthy scratch for a couple games in November. He bounced right back after the scratch. By the holidays Tortorella said “the skating energy it’s just not there. You could see him struggling before the break”. This is not dogging on him, this is part of his development. The conditioning required to go full on for an entire NHL season is intense. The NHL season is also tougher and longer than a season in the KHL.

The Long Game

You often see veteran players come back after having procedures taken care of during the off-season. They miss their summer training and camp and by mid-season you can see them wearing down. They’re not fortified for the grueling demands of the long season. It takes time to build up to this and it’s all part of becoming a pro. And just for the record for teams that make the playoffs April is when things are just starting to ramp up.

Again just an observation, when Michkov came into camp and was hit with that rope skate on opening day it was a battle for him to get through it. Well conditioned legs sometimes outlast younger legs during that bag skate. For Michkov it was a struggle but to his credit he pushed himself through it and that is what the coach was looking for.

In contrast players like Nicolas Deslauriers were powering through it with far less difficulty. I saw Deslauriers putting the straw of his water bottle through a hole in his sock to hose down his knees between sets of laps. But he was taking it all in stride and finding things to smile about while doing so. He’s been doing it for years, he’s a pro.

Tortorella and Michkov

In the end both of these guys are on the same team and share a common goal. Everyone has to be patient and allow Matvei Michkov to develop into the player he has the potential to become. I personally don’t think we have very long to wait. He is learning not just the ropes in the NHL but a new language and lifestyle. He’s a very young man with a lot on his plate and the possibility of a very bright future ahead. Some things just can’t be rushed.

Michkov played one of his best games as a Flyer against the Washington Capitals just before the 4 Nations break. He was a force right out of the gate, he scored two goals and came very close to completing the hat trick with a Michigan style attempt. It would have bought the house down if it had worked. Everyone was waiting for it when he took control of the puck behind the net. Unfortunately “everyone” included Washington’s goaltender.

Extra Credit: People were also talking last week about Alex Ovechkin saying this about MM, “He’s a great guy, doing well. But I wish he would show off a little less”. This ruffled a few feathers but it should be noted that he was then asked about Montreal prospect Ivan Demidov who is currently playing in the KHL and said pretty much the exact same thing about him. So, …whatever.