When the Philadelphia Flyers selected Russian hockey prodigy Matvei Michkov with the No. 7 overall pick at last year’s draft, the expectation was for him to come to North America when his KHL contract ended in 2026.
Evidently, Christmas has come a bit early.
Michkov is reportedly set to terminate the contract with his KHL club, SKA St. Petersburg, and join the Flyers for the start of the 2024-25 season. Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period was the first to report Michkov’s early exit from the KHL, and PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor later confirmed the report.
Rumors of Michkov terminating his KHL contract picked up steam in May when Arthur Khairullin of Russian media outlet Sport Express reported Michkov was set to “continue his career in Philadelphia.” Since Khairullin’s report, Michkov added fuel to the fire by routinely posting photos to his Instagram account of him dressed in Flyers gear.
Michkov’s arrival has the potential to change the future of the Flyers for years to come. The 19-year-old winger is one of the most prolific U-20 prospects to ever play in the KHL. While on loan to the HK Sochi during the 2023-24 campaign, he logged 19 goals and 41 points in 47 games, falling just two points shy of breaking the all-time KHL scoring record by a player under the age of 20.
The Flyers have been tight-lipped about Michkov’s early arrival. Getting Russian players to leave the KHL and come to North America can be difficult, as evidenced by the Ivan Fedotov debacle. However, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere has expressed optimism regarding the future of Michkov in Philadelphia.
“We’re kind of at the mercy of what they decide to do over there with him,” Briere said about Michkov during his pre-draft press conference Thursday.
“The mindset for us is still we’re going into next season without him. He has two years left on his contract. If something changes from today until then, then we’ll certainly be happy. I don’t have much news on that. We read what’s going on and we hope for the best.”
What comes next? First, Michkov will need to officially be released from the KHL. Then, he’ll need to sign his entry-level contract before officially joining the Flyers. Once those two pieces of business are finalized, the Flyers will have a new face of the franchise.
After Michkov was drafted, he made his goals clear.
“My biggest wish is that I want to come to Philadelphia and I want to help them win a Stanley Cup.”
He’s one step closer to fulfilling his goal.
This is a developing story. Stick with Broad Street Hockey for updates.
