Announced Monday afternoon, the Flyers have signed Michkov to the standard three year entry level contract. This move was weeks, if not months in the making for Michkov, after news that the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg terminated his contract broke last week.
It’s obviously the most massive of steps in the Flyers rebuild, too, as Michkov is without a doubt the main gear that makes the entire system work. He’s the undeniable blue chip, potential franchise changer – and the boost in excitement that this Flyers organization so desperately needs.
We also have our first official statement of Matvei Michkov as a Flyer, courtesy of the Flyers press release.
“I’m extremely happy to officially become a part of the Flyers family. Being in the NHL has been a dream for me since childhood. I would like to say a huge thank you to the Flyers management for their trust. I will do everything possible to meet their expectations. I can’t wait to join my teammates and start preparing for the new season together, and I would especially like to greet our fans. We have the same dream to win the Stanley Cup and I promise that will do my best to help this team and make that possible,” Michkov said.
Michkov also took to his Instagram story to announce the contract, hilariously posting a “Let’s Go Flayers” story before correcting it to “Let’s Go Flyers” just a few minutes later. He’s one of us, truly.
It really goes without mentioning that the Flyers and Danny Briere deserve a ton of credit for navigating the tricky nature of this process. The Flyers handled this situation in a focused, seemingly hands off way, in stark contrast to the Hurricanes’ failed attempt to bring over stud defenseman Alexander Nikishin. It’s possible it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, but the Flyers clearly played their hand the right way. For Briere, this is a monumental early success in his Flyers tenure, and one he is certainly excited about.
“We’re excited to have Matvei under contract and we look forward to him joining our team at training camp in September. We’ve kept a close eye on his development since the draft and to be able to add a player like Matvei, who brings a high-level of talent, skill and game-breaking abilities, he will be a key piece to our future,” Briere said in the press release.
So, now that it’s a reality: Welcome to Philadelphia, Matvei Michkov.
