Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov is in the midst of a crucially important summer in advance of the final campaign of his entry-level contract. After Michkov’s lack of conditioning progress last summer became a storyline that dominated the winger’s disappointing sophomore campaign (Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet even said publicly Michkov did not arrive at training camp “in shape”), it became clear Michkov would be under immense pressure to maximize this offseason so that he can hit the ground running when the Flyers return to the ice in the fall.
It appears Michkov is taking steps to ensure the events of last season don’t repeat. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported today that “Michkov had a trainer that he is comfortable working with — and whom the Flyers know — visit him in Russia for approximately three weeks last month.” In addition, Kurz reported Michkov will return to the Philadelphia area from his native Russia at some point in early August to continue his offseason work and ramp up before training camp. While these steps are no guarantee of on-ice success, they are encouraging signs that Michkov won’t be dogged by the same degree of external (and internal) criticism that he endured a year ago.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- One of the key items remaining on Philadelphia’s offseason checklist is a new contract for RFA forward Trevor Zegras. The two parties are slated to have an arbitration hearing next Wednesday, and Kurz reports there is “nothing imminent” in terms of a new contract between the team and Zegras. One factor that could be making the process more difficult is the team’s recent $18MM AAV offer sheet for Anaheim Ducks RFA center Leo Carlsson. The Flyers showed they were willing to pay, handsomely, for a young No. 1 center. While Zegras isn’t an exact comparable to Carlsson for an abundance of reasons, the 2019 No. 7 overall pick did acquit himself well at the center position late last season. The Flyers reportedly view Zegras as a center heading into training camp next month. It’s possible that Zegras’ price on a contract extension could have risen as a result of the Flyers’ offer to Carlsson.
- While it was originally believed that Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Sergei Ivanov, who recently signed an ELC with the team, would be crossing the Atlantic and joining the organization in full next season, that does not appear to be the case. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports Ivanov will be loaned back to his KHL club, SKA St. Petersburg, for one final season before heading to North America next fall. The 22-year-old had a stellar season with St. Petersburg in 2025-26, posting a .928 save percentage in 29 KHL games. He had a .911 save percentage in 38 games backstopping a weak HK Sochi team the year prior.