Can John Tortorella let Michkov be Michkov this season?

IT'S THE BIGGEST SECRET about the Philadelphia Flyers, an answer whose answer could determine the success or failure of their season:

“Can they coexist?”

Can Matvei Michkov, the 19-year-old Russian-born rookie whose offensive skill is dwarfed only by his boundless enthusiasm, find harmony with coach John Tortorella, whose legendary adherence to the “right way to play” has led him to nurture young talent to bench or strike out? when they didn't meet his standards?

“I have no doubt that there will be fireworks here and there, just like he did with almost every single player,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere predicted. “Ultimately Torts is the coach and he will manage it. He will teach him to be a professional. Torts’ goal is to make Matvei the best player he can be.”

The ends may justify the means, but the means can be frustrating for its players. Just ask any player who experienced some of Tortorella's trademark tough love while having playing time taken away from him.

Although Tortorella is a demanding coach, he is also a realist. The Flyers ranked 27th in the NHL in goals per game last season (2.82). Michkov can both score goals and create goals for others, often ending up on the highlight reel. Tortorella and Michkov met over the summer to set expectations for his rookie season.

“I can’t wait to see how he will provide offense (in the NHL). I think his brain is pretty special,” Briere said. “We haven’t had players like that here for a long time.”

Out of offensive necessity — and despite his reputation — Tortorella appears willing to make Michkov Michkov for the benefit of the Flyers.

“We're hungry for the instinctive plays he can make,” said Tortorella, in his third year as coach in Philadelphia. “I have no interest in turning him into a dame. We want to lay the foundation. That will take time. But will we hit him over the head with this? No.”

The Flyers don't just need the goals Michkov can score. You need the mood. At least that's how Tortorella sees it.

For example, when Michkov scored his first goal of the preseason into an empty net. He ran over and jumped into the glass near the fans before enthusiastically hugging his teammates in what was essentially a practice game.

“He hit an empty-net goal in an exhibition game, and it was like it was Game 7,” Tortorella said. “I love that about him. I think it rubs off on the team.”

MICHKOV WAS AN INTERNATIONAL A mystery man headed to the 2023 NHL Draft.

Some scouts claimed the winger had the highest talent ceiling next to No. 1 pick Connor Bedard. However, some questioned why Michkov skipped the reconnaissance tour and only met with certain teams, leading to speculation that he was trying to maneuver his way to a specific landing spot – which the player denied.

There was another twist: Michkov was under contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the Continental Hockey League for the next three seasons, meaning his NHL debut would theoretically not take place until 2026/27.

Undaunted, the Flyers selected him seventh overall.

“I have a contract, but I hope to come here as soon as I get out,” Michkov said after his call-up.

“It is what it is,” Briere said at the time. “We know he has a contract for three more seasons. But after watching him play and getting to know him, we just felt like he was a talent we couldn't miss out on. If we have to wait, we will wait.”

The wait didn't last long. Michkov spent another season in the KHL and then moved to the NHL this summer.

It was the second high-profile Russian player that Briere's front office was able to bring to North America. Goalie Ivan Fedotov, who the team drafted in 2015, finally joined the Flyers last season after a somewhat circuitous journey. He is expected to form a goalkeeper battery alongside Samuel Ersson this season.

Fedotov showed strong numbers in the KHL and helped the athletes from Russia to Olympic silver at the 2022 Games in Beijing. The Flyers signed him in 2022, but Fedotov was reportedly sent by Russian authorities to a remote military base in the Arctic Circle for a year of duty, which they said he wanted to avoid by moving to the NHL.

“The military brought him back. So it took a little longer for him,” Briere said.

Philadelphia terminated Fedotov's NHL contract assuming he would report a year later. Instead, the KHL announced that he had signed a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow.

In 2024, after CSKA Moscow's season ended, it was announced that Fedotov's KHL contract had been terminated and he joined the Flyers for three games last season.

The Flyers were concerned about how they managed to sign Fedotov and Michkov.

When asked specifically about Michkov, Briere said it was the young standout's desire to compare his talents to the best in the world.

“You also need the willingness of the player. Ivan wanted to be here. Matvei wanted to be here,” he said. “Matvei is so competitive. He wants to show the world that he belongs with them.”

Michkov and Fedotov are important players for the Flyers this season. They are also products of Russia entering the NHL at a time when the international hockey community's relations with the country are strained.

Russia and Belarus have been banned from the IIHF World Championship for three years due to the invasion of Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee will decide on their eligibility for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy by May. In February, the NHL is hosting a four-nation tournament, but Russia is not involved because the league couldn't figure out how to move forward with another World Cup without their participation.

The Flyers' focus remains on the ice, according to the GM, where the Flyers are pushing for their first playoff berth since 2020 and their first Stanley Cup since 1975.

The partnership between Michkov and Tortorella will be a crucial part of this push.

MICHKOV UNDERSTANDS HOW MUCH Hype surrounds his arrival in Philadelphia. For example, when he arrived at training camp and saw dozens of fans already wearing his jersey, something he said he had never experienced before as a player.

The Flyers are doing their best to temper expectations for Michkov's first NHL season.

“I am realistic. It will be a tough season for him. This is the best league in the world. It's a big step. It won’t be easy,” Briere said. “So my expectations are actually pretty low. I’m excited to see him play, but he’s going to have to go through a lot before he’s the player he wants to be.”

Tortorella has a number of things Michkov needs to work on as a rookie.

“We will focus on shift length with him,” he said. “He didn’t play in 82 games.”

Tortorella drew a comparison between Rangers star Artemi Panarin – whom he coached with the Columbus Blue Jackets – and Michkov in terms of the way they can accelerate quickly when their team gains possession of the puck.

“It's funny watching a guy like (Panarin), how difficult it can be to come back when you don't have the puck, and how quickly he comes back when they do have the puck,” the coach said. “Bread is one of the best at it, and I think Mich has a little bit of that.”

Tortorella said Michkov will see a significant jump in quality of play from the exhibition season to the regular season, and that “situational play” will be one of the biggest learning curves for him.

“I think that's the most important thing when you're dealing with offensive players. There are certain times in the game when you just have to be easy. You may have to fight another day to play this game,” he said. “I know we have to teach him this. But I want to let him go. We will not try to stifle his creativity in any way.”

Despite all the concerns about Michkov and Tortorella living together, the coach says he just wants to let him fly.

“You're happy for a 19-year-old boy who comes from overseas, you put him in the spotlight a little bit and he just goes and plays,” he said. “When I think about myself at that age, there's no way I could do the things he does. I was never mature enough. That's why it's fun for an older person to watch a little child having fun and dealing with the situation the way they did.”

John Tortorella, who lived vicariously through Matvei Michkov. Who knew?