After the NHL offseason passed its most active dates, the attention in the world of the Philadelphia Flyers shifted back to Matvei Michkov. Fans should get used to hearing his name in all kinds of rumblings out of Russia over the next three years before he reaches the NHL. The Flyers also signed three restricted free agents (RFAs) and made headlines for a bizarre mishap involving a hot mic.
Michkov Character Concerns
The seventh-overall pick instantly became the top prospect in the organization the second he was drafted. He will logically draw more interest than any other player in the organization because of his superstar potential and because of the mysterious nature of his situation leading up to the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Michkov has already become a topic of conversations about potential character concerns that caused him to slip past the Montreal Canadiens and the five other teams that picked ahead of the Flyers.
He (most likely) won’t play in the NHL until after his contract in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) expires after the 2025-26 season. Until then, hockey fans in North America will hear about him mostly from rumors passed down the line coming from a country that is hardly accessible for outsiders and incredibly difficult to nail down from a media standpoint within a tumultuous political situation. Get used to hearing Matvei Michkov’s name in all kinds of rumors with a level of credibility that’s virtually impossible to determine.
General manager (GM) Danny Briere spoke on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia about the positive impression he had of the Russian winger when they met before the draft.
“We were really surprised at how outgoing he was, how excited he was to visit our facility. We met him again in Nashville with the rest of the staff, and everybody was blown away by his charisma, even though he didn’t speak much English. He (had) a big smile on him whenever we started talking about the Flyers,” he said.
Briere also said the Flyers are the only team Michkov met with after he flew to New York before the draft. The rookie GM set reasonable expectations for Michkov’s timeline to play in the NHL.
“I’m assuming that he’s going to spend the next three years and fulfill his contract with St. Petersburg in the Russian league. That’s what I’m going with. Now, if something changes and (he) happens to come earlier, that’s going to be great, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. I don’t want to get the hopes of our fans up at this point,” he said.
Flyers Sign York, Cates, Lycksell
The Flyers signed defenseman Cam York to a two-year contract worth $1.6 million in average annual value (AAV). The 22-year-old former first-round pick was the best defenseman on the team for long stretches of the 2022-23 season. He finished with two goals and 18 assists in 54 games, and his 2.76 expected goals per 60 minutes (xGF/60) ranked first among Philadelphia defensemen who played at least 15 games. He’ll likely play an expanded role after the Ivan Provorov trade and a likely move involving Tony DeAngelo (more on him later).
Noah Cates also signed a two-year contract worth $2.63 million in AAV. The 24-year-old transitioned to center in his first full-time NHL season, and he quickly became the most reliable defensive forward on the team. He played four seasons at the NCAA level for Minnesota Duluth, which allowed him to break into the NHL as a nearly polished product. He quickly became one of John Tortorella’s preferred players in high-leverage situations, and he was one of only three Flyers to play all 82 games. Cates scored 13 goals and added 25 assists in 2022-23.
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“Players are smart. Their agents are smart…They (York and Cates) preferred the shorter term. I like that they’re betting on themselves. That means they’re competitive, and they know at the end of the day, if they perform well, they’ll get paid more money down the road. But it’s something that they preferred, and it worked well for everybody.” Danny Briere said when asked if long-term deals with adjusted AAVs were in play during negotiations.
Olle Lycksell signed a two-year, two-way deal worth $787,500 in AAV. He showed flashes of potential during training camp and the preseason entering 2022-23, his first season in North America. The 23-year-old Swede finished second on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in scoring and played eight NHL games as a call-up. Philadelphia should take advantage of low expectations in 2023-24 by giving players like Lycksell a longer leash to prove themselves at the NHL level.
DeAngelo, Karlsson Trade Rumors
Fans anxiously waited on July 9 to hear news about DeAngelo returning to the Carolina Hurricanes. GM Don Waddell said openly at the draft that there was a deal in place that the Flyers and Hurricanes could only execute after a certain date. Why did that date pass without a deal between the two Metropolitan Division foes?
Elliotte Friedman named the Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins as the two front-runners to land reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. Carolina’s loaded blue line already includes Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, and Brady Skjei. They might add the only defenseman to score 100 points in a single season since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. It’s easy to see why they might’ve pushed DeAngelo to the backburner until they evaluate the situation with Karlsson.
Bill Meltzer spoke on the Flyers Daily podcast about the unlikelihood that DeAngelo stays in Philadelphia in 2023-24 even if the deal with Carolina falls through, especially if the Flyers are willing to retain half his $5 million salary.
“I think there’s a trade out there. I would still be surprised if he opens the season with the team,” Meltzer said.
DeAngelo would fit better on a team that doesn’t expect him to play top-pair minutes. He struggled to handle the highest average time on ice (ATOI) of his career during his only season with the Flyers in 2022-23. Only 24 players in the NHL were on the ice for more expected goals against (xGA). Of those 24 players, 22 of them appeared in at least six more games than DeAngelo, and 14 of them played at least 10 more games.
He also failed to improve a power-play unit that finished 32nd in the NHL for the second consecutive season. His relationship with Tortorella soured by the end of the season, and he’s a clear candidate for the Flyers’ initiative for the subtraction of players that don’t fit the new standard they’re looking to create within the organization.
Loose Pucks
The Flyers also signed 21-year-old Belarusian goaltender Alexei Kolosov to a three-year, entry-level contract. They expect him to burn one year of the deal in the KHL before coming to North America, which is common for goaltenders overseas who prefer to play in top foreign leagues if they expect mostly American Hockey League (AHL) time in North America. Meltzer said Kolosov is in the mix as one of the top 10 NHL goaltending prospects.
The most unusual story of the week came after Garnet Hathaway’s first virtual media availability since signing a two-year contract on July 1. A member of the organization’s social media department carelessly left a microphone on while live streaming the press conference, and the live audio picked up a vulgar comment about a reporter’s question. The organization released a formal apology.
All advanced stats apply to 5-on-5 play, courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.