The Blackhawks are looking to bolster their offense this offseason, and they’re looking to do it with a player who fits the trajectory of the current building timeline. The trade market might be the ultimate path to finding that additional piece, and this past season makes one wonder about the situation in Philadelphia with Matvei Michkov.
Going into the 2023 NHL Draft, Michkov was mentioned as perhaps the only player whose pure skill could rival Connor Bedard at the top of the class. But his temperament, coupled with his situation in Russia, made him a wild card heading into the draft. He ultimately fell to Philadelphia with the seventh overall pick.
Now, after multiple healthy scratches in the playoffs, there are questions about his place in the room in Philly — and if he’s now a player they could consider trading.
The Flyers held their exit interviews on Tuesday morning. While there were some positive sentiments expressed by Michkov, it appears there’s still some desire for clarity heading into the offseason from the player.
Michkov Drama in Philly
Which brings me to a very interesting read from Anthony Di Marco at Daily Faceoff on the fascinating situation for Michkov in Philadelphia.
Di Marco mentions a couple scouts whose teams didn’t even have him on the board because of the questions about his approach. This section of the piece summarizes where Di Marco believes the situation is at heading into the summer:
All this to say: the exasperation the Flyers have felt with Michkov this season – going all the way back to him showing up to training camp out of shape – is not something exclusive to them. By all accounts, Michkov is not held in high regard by plenty of team personnel members across the league at this point.
That being said, the Flyers are in no hurry to run Michkov out of town. Yes, things did not go well this year, but Michkov is still a valuable piece to this rebuild and possesses a skillset that perhaps only Trevor Zegras also shares on the Flyers. Additionally, trading Michkov after a down season – though he still registered 51 points – wouldn’t be the best asset management; you do run the risk of his value torpedoing even more if the ship isn’t righted next year, however.
While the Flyers are certainly in no rush to move Michkov, it feels like he isn’t as untouchable as we once thought. Speaking with team sources earlier in the week, DFO was told that the Flyers would “listen on everyone” if it meant improving the team – which is what every good NHL team does. But given that this was said during a conversation regarding Michkov, it is at least somewhat noteworthy given that the word “untouchable” had been synonymous with him in the past.
Where do the #LetsGoFlyers and Matvei Michkov go from here?The drama surrounding Michkov went on until the final game of the playoffs. Is he still part of Philly's long-term plans?Story from @ADiMarco25: t.co/IFo6OkuIoh
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) May 12, 2026Michkov has only missed three regular-season games in his two NHL campaigns with the Flyers, scoring 26 and 20 goals in those seasons, respectively. When he’s on, he can drive offense. It’s when he’s not on that’s the problem.
He started the season in new Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet’s doghouse because he reported to camp out of shape. Things didn’t improve as quickly as many would have liked; his ice time per game dropped almost two full minutes during his sophomore season.
If you’re thinking the Blackhawks could be in the mix for Michkov, Di Marco writes: “A team source told DFO that the club’s biggest need this summer is a scoring-line centerman.” I don’t think the Blackhawks are in a position to trade one of those from their current roster — Frank Nazar or Anton Frondell — but one does have to wonder if Caleb Malhotra is available at No. 4 if there’s at least a conversation.
Additionally, would the presence of Roman Kantserov in the room potentially influence a stronger, more consistent work ethic from Michkov?
One aspect of a potential conversation here that we need to at least acknowledge is that Michkov is a right wing. In theory, the Blackhawks could have Nazar and Kantserov in that spot on the top two lines entering the new season. Michkov being a left-handed shooter might make some movement around the lines an interesting conversation with the coaches, though.
But we also have to keep all of the red flags in mind. Would the Blackhawks even consider a deal for a player as volatile as Michkov given how intentional they have been with building the culture in the room?
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