Can Matvei Michkov carry Philadelphia Flyers to playoffs in 2024-25?
If there appears to be a buzz surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers, it is because there is. The orange and black embark on the 2024-25 season with the hope of playoff hockey returning to the Wells Fargo Center, primarily fueled by the arrival of their top prospect and the steps the club took last season.
The Flyers open the season on a four-game western Canada and West Coast trip beginning Friday night in Vancouver, British Columbia. The puck drop against the Canucks is scheduled for 10 p.m.
Here are three storylines to watch as the Flyers begin Year 3 under head coach John Tortorella.
Michkovmania takes over Philadelphia
Not since Eric Lindros in the early 1990s has a prospect generated this type of excitement as Matvei Michkov's earlier-than-expected arrival to North America. Michkov was released by his KHL team, SKA Saint Petersburg, this summer, allowing him to come over.
Michkov did not disappoint in preseason, showing the hype surrounding him is very much real. He finished the preseason slate with three goals and four assists in four games, including an overtime game-winner against the Boston Bruins.
"Exceeded my expectation, to be honest," Flyers general manager Danny Briere said about Michkov's preseason.
Briere singled out two areas of Michkov's game that impressed him most: how the 19-year-old competes in puck battles and his willingness to go to the dirty areas to create scoring opportunities.
"A lot of guys, they get in the battle, they take a big hit, they get pushed out of the way and someone else comes in and picks up the puck and go," Briere said. "You watch him work with his feet and his stick. He's always thinking ahead of everybody. He takes the hit, but his feet are making a play with the puck at the same time."
"I loved how he went into traffic. Wasn't afraid to take a beating, was willing to give it back," Briere added. "His competitiveness around the net, in the crease. It's something that makes him special. It's not easy to go there. To have the guts to do it every single shift, to go back there and position yourself in the crease, knowing you're going to be taken out, you're going to be taken some slashes, and some cross-checks and some punches to the head, I was really impressed by that."
How much of an impact can Michkov make in his first NHL season?
He could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs.
Will there be another power(play) outage?
On March 23, the Flyers left the Wells Fargo Center 36-26-9 and in playoff position. They ended the season on the outside looking in after losing eight straight games and nine of their final 12.
A major reason behind the collapse was the Flyers' NHL-worst power play.
The Flyers' power play finished last in the NHL last season at 12.2%, nearly 3 percentage points worse than the 31st-ranked team's.
"I certainly don't expect our power play to go from 32nd to top-10 in the league," Briere said, "but what I'm hoping for is, an improvement on that this season. I think middle of the pack is a little much to ask for right away. We're hoping for an improvement."
Briere said the Flyers perhaps would have made the playoffs last season with a marginally better PP unit.
The Flyers didn't add much in the offseason. The only additions really are Michkov and 18-year-old Jett Luchanko.
So, what makes Briere think the Flyers' PP can improve? Experience.
"Some of the guys are a year old," Briere said, singling out Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost and Travis Konecny. "Adding Matvei, who has always been a power-play specialist wherever he's been. Jamie Drysdale, healthy. Those are all positive things."
The power play has been a problem for a while now. Philadelphia has had the worst PP unit for three seasons straight.
If Philadelphia can find a way to improve the power play — one has to think Michkov will help — the rebuilding Flyers may get a taste of playoff hockey.
Will the Flyers' goaltending hold up?
It wouldn't be Flyers hockey if the goaltending didn't raise questions. The Flyers relied heavily on rookie Samuel Ersson last season, but the rookie eventually wore down.
Ersson entered the season as the backup to Carter Hart, but plans changed when Hart took a leave of absence and then was charged with sexual assault in the 2018 Hockey Canada investigation. The Flyers didn't retain Hart's rights after the season.
The 24-year-old was 23-19-7 with a 2.82 goals against average and .890 save percentage in 51 games last season.
In 14 games in November and December, Ersson had a .923 save percentage, but that dropped dipped over the final four months. In Ersson's final 35 games from January until the end of the season, he had a .885 save percentage. He had a .870 save percentage in 18 games in March and April.
The Flyers enter the 2024-25 season with Ersson as their No. 1 goalie and Russian netminder Ivan Fedotov as his backup. Fedotov joined the Flyers in March after his KHL team, CSKA Moscow, terminated his contract.
Philadelphia also has its top goalie prospect, Alexei Kolosov, who reported from Russia to training camp in late September.
Kolosov will start at Lehigh Valley, but he could play in the NHL at some point this season. The Flyers' goalie depth behind Ersson and Fedotov is not deep.
Fedotov appeared in three games and started one last season, posting a 4.95 GAA and a .811 save percentage. However, this was far from enough of a sample to make a judgment.
Can Fedotov serve as an adequate partner for Ersson, or does he open the door for Kolosov?
What kind of step will Ersson take in his second full season in the NHL?