The Philadelphia Flyers could be fielding plenty of phone calls regarding young star winger Matvei Michkov this offseason, according to a report from NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman. The speculation comes after the 21-year-old was surprisingly made a healthy scratch during Philadelphia’s first-round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Friedman discussed the situation on “32 Thoughts: The Podcast,” noting rival teams are expected to monitor whether there is any tension between the Flyers and their highly-touted forward. Despite Michkov struggling during the postseason and averaging just over 10 minutes of ice time per game, league executives reportedly believe teams will still aggressively inquire about his availability.
The Flyers are not expected to seriously entertain moving Michkov, who remains one of the organization’s cornerstone pieces for the future. However, the increased attention surrounding his playoff benching has quickly become one of the NHL’s more intriguing offseason storylines.
