Flyers thoughts: So about Matvei Michkov and his NHL timeline

Just when all was expected to go quiet around the Flyers for a bit, here comes an interview from out of Russia regarding top prospect Matvei Michkov and the possibility of him coming over to the NHL ahead of schedule. 

Never a dull moment. 

Alexander Medvedev, the chairman of Michkov's KHL club SKA St. Petersburg, spoke with Russian sports outlet Match TV in a conversation published on Tuesday, which touched on some crucial points regarding the 19-year old winger's status and how quickly his path to North America could actually move. 

The highlights of that interview with Medvedev (though keep in mind through a Russian to English Google translation):

• The Flyers' front office is in communication with SKA St. Petersburg's brass. General manager Danny Brière and co. haven't been shy about wanting Michkov to make the jump over to Philly, according to Medvedev, but at the same time, they're remaining respectful of his KHL contract, which still has another two seasons on it. 
• When Michkov comes over, he'll go straight to the NHL roster. There doesn't seem to be interest in spending any time developing with the Phantoms down in the AHL. 
• With that in mind, Medvedev seems fully aware that SKA St. Petersburg has an NHL star on their hands, but would want to see Michkov get one season to fully establish himself in Russia before making the jump, citing the final pro Russian seasons for Alex Ovechkin and Artermi Panarin before they each left for the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks respectively. 
• Medvedev said SKA St. Petersburg's relationship with the Flyers is good and that, again, they're being patient on their end, but also noted that there are going to be talks about Michkov's options and hinted at a decision on his immediate future by the end of June.

And that last one was a stinger that fans immediately latched on to.

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When the Flyers drafted Michkov seventh overall last summer, it was a gamble taken with the understanding that he already had a three-year KHL contract signed with SKA St. Petersburg in place and that they would more than likely have to wait that out. 

They did through year 1, with the roster they had going into this past NHL season managing to construct a surprise playoff push, though one that went on to stall out in the end. 

On Michkov's side over in Russia, however, there was frustration. In the early going of the KHL campaign, SKA St. Petersburg wasn't using him, he was sitting inactive, and just to get him minutes and opportunity, a "mutual decision" was made to loan him to HC Sochi, where in 47 games after, he put up 41 points while regularly generating highlights that quickly caught fire across the Flyers' social media sphere. 

Michkov Watch was very much on across the Flyers fan base, along with speculation on any potential way to bring him over sooner rather than later, and after the season ended, Brière acknowledged that the organization would jump on any such opportunity to do so, but held to the fact that Michkov's KHL contract is still there and that there are still two years left on it.

"Look, if there's an opportunity, we would jump on it to get him here quicker," Brière said during his exit presser with the media a couple of weeks back. "But as far as I know, at the moment, it's still the same timeline. He has two years left on his deal. I think on his end, he would have to find a way out of his deal before we can do anything. That's out of our control, so as far as I know, we have to wait two more years. 

"Believe me, we keep watching him. We have a heavy interest in what he does and he's had a tremendous year. It was fun to see some of the highlights, but at this time, I don't hold too much hope that we'll be able to get him out sooner."

Though keep in mind: Brière said this after having to trade former top prospect Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim for Jamie Drysdale and then finding a way to get 6'7 goaltender Ivan Fedotov into the picture finally – after his own tumultuous two years in Russia – in near silence until the deals were done.

One of the more underrated aspects the Flyers proved this season as they set out to rebuild was that management became a much tighter ship with Brière as GM and Keith Jones as president of hockey ops at the helm. 

So if Michkov's timeline suddenly does shift without much of a heads-up, there's at least precedent for it. 

And since the Medvedev interview alluded to Ovechkin's and Panarin's final pro seasons in Russia before their NHL leaps, and on the idea that it means at least one more year in the KHL for Michkov before making his, let's end on the potential precedent set there:

*2004-05 NHL Lockout canceled season

Now it's time to see how the next couple of months play out. 

Never a dull moment for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Stats H/T: Elite Prospects

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