The Chairman of the Board of Directors of SKA, Alexander Medvedev, did not leave it out of the realm of possibility for Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov to join the club this summer, according to Match Tv.
“I think we will talk about all the options, first of all, with him. Medvedev told Match TV. “And we will also talk with the leaders of Philadelphia, with whom we have very good relations. There is understanding, and you will be patient. I think the decision on Michkov will be no later than the end of June.”
Michkov, 19, coming off one of the most impressive seasons in KHL history from a U19 player since Kirill Kaprizov, while dealing with pneumonia since December 2023 — may have the chance to dawn the orange and black sooner than planned.
The Flyers acquried Michkov’s NHL rights with the seventh-overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft after he expressed great interest in being drafted by the club, so much so that he declined interviews with teams ahead of Philadelphia at the draft.
Michkov wants to be a Flyer and play in the National Hockey League, and vice versa for the Flyers brass, General Manager Daniel Briere and President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones. All parties have been vocal about it since drafting the Russian prodigy this past summer. GM Briere spoke with the media during the season wrap-up press conference.
“Look, if there’s an opportunity, we would jump on it to get him here quicker.” Daniel Briere told the media during the season-ending press conference. “As far as I know, at the moment, it’s still the same timeline. He has two years left on his deal. He would have to find a way out of his deal before we can do anything. That’s out of our control.”
Michkov may find a way out of his current contract. The 19-year-old has had a tough few seasons while continuing to put up impressive numbers on the ice. During the 2023-24 season, Michkov was the butt end of matters, concisely being scratched or benched and eventually being loaned to HC Sochi in the early going of the regular season. So, a move to the NHL would seem likely rather than stunting his development riding the bench in Russia.
If Michkov is to go earlier, then there needs to be a clause in the contract that if Philadelphia is tempted to send him to the AHL, he will have the right to return to Russia. But that talk is still tabled because legally, Michkov is under a contract with SKA, and Philadelphia brass told Alexander Medvedev that they would not commit any violations of contractual rights.
