{"id":933244,"date":"2026-07-14T01:48:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T01:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/933244\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T01:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T01:48:13","slug":"metro-notes-michkov-zegras-ivanov-pro-hockey-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/933244\/","title":{"rendered":"Metro Notes: Michkov, Zegras, Ivanov \u2013 Pro Hockey Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n By Ethan Hetu<\/a> |
\n at July 13, 2026 8:00 pm <\/p>\n

Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov<\/strong><\/a> is in the midst of a crucially important summer in advance of the final campaign of his entry-level contract. After Michkov\u2019s lack of conditioning progress last summer became a storyline that dominated the winger\u2019s disappointing sophomore campaign (Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet even said publicly<\/a> Michkov did not arrive at training camp \u201cin shape\u201d), 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.<\/p>\n

It appears Michkov is taking steps to ensure the events of last season don\u2019t repeat. The Athletic\u2019s Kevin Kurz reported today<\/a> that \u201cMichkov had a trainer that he is comfortable working with \u2014 and whom the Flyers know \u2014 visit him in Russia for approximately three weeks last month.\u201d 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\u2019t be dogged by the same degree of external (and internal) criticism that he endured a year ago.<\/p>\n

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:<\/p>\n