Briere says Flyers have no plan to trade Michkov

TORONTO — Despite a report about Matvei Michkov’s apparent unhappiness and potential interest in a change of scenery, the Philadelphia Flyers say they have not received a request for a trade from Michkov’s agent and were surprised by the news.

“This is all news to me,” Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said.

Beyond that, the message from Briere was clear: The Flyers have no intention of moving Michkov.

“No, that’s not the plan at all,” Briere said. “We’ve never discussed that.”

The report from NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes cited “internal turmoil” with the Flyers as part of Michkov’s interest in “wanting a new start elsewhere,” but earlier on Wednesday following the GM Meetings in downtown Toronto, Briere took zero issue with Michkov’s emotion that spilled over to the bench during an in-game confrontation with teammate Nick Seeler.

“I actually like the fact that our guys are fiery and they want to win,” Briere said. “That’s what I saw [in Vancouver]. It’s showing competitive players. That’s what we’re looking for, that’s what we want. The reality is, the team hasn’t performed great this year and players expect more out of themselves.”

Briere scoffed at the notion that the in-game quarrelling over a sequence in the offensive zone had any indication that the Flyers were lacking in the culture department, as some observers have suggested.

“If we had a culture where guys are yelling at each other and no one is responding, a culture that guys don’t care about winning, then we’d be in trouble,” Briere said. “But when you show a culture that guys want to better themselves and they’re not happy where they are, I expect that.”

One of the most emotional and competitive players on the last great Flyers teams, Briere said he was glad there weren’t as many cameras as there are now. That type of disagreement happens on almost every team multiple times per year.

“I’ve been part of many, many situations like that in my career. There just wasn’t social media then,” Briere said. “It doesn’t usually happen in a place that everyone can see [on the bench], it’s usually behind closed doors. That is OK. I expect that.”

The irony in the timing of Wednesday’s report is that Briere and the Flyers’ front office are pleased with the steps Michkov has taken this season. The 21-year-old has collected 10 goals in 20 games, putting him on a 42-goal pace for the season, which is 16 more than he netted as a rookie two seasons ago.

“I’ve been really happy with how he’s played this year,” Briere said.

Michkov has been one of the few bright spots in an awful first quarter. Briere said the Flyers “started the season later than we should have” and are only now reaching the compete level required every night — a 5-10-5 first quarter that has likely crushed their chances of back-to-back playoff appearances.

Michkov, meanwhile, has done everything the Flyers have asked, from arriving to training camp in the best shape of his NHL career to better assimilating with teammates as he continues to learn the language and North American culture and team construct.

Yet, he has still been a lightning rod for controversy in Philadelphia for his ice time — or lack thereof. Michkov has averaged 15:54 per game this season, which is up more than a full minute this season, his second under Rick Tocchet.

Michkov made waves when either he, or a social media account registered to him, recently liked an Instagram post from Flyers fans who were complaining about how few minutes he received in comparison to other less productive Flyers forwards. The Flyers have the NHL’s 31st-ranked offence, averaging 2.25 goals per game. They want to know why Michkov isn’t on the ice more.

There is a myth that more ice time will result in more goals, which isn’t always true.

“He’s been placed in a position to succeed,” Briere said. “More minutes, more opportunities, more situations than last year. Matvei is developing. He’s far from a finished product.”

To Briere and the Flyers, they see it as a positive that Michkov wants more. The old saying is it’s easier to tame a lion than to teach a cat how to roar, and that applies here.

Briere said he supports Tocchet’s deployment. Despite how the overall ice time total may appear, Tocchet has layered in additional responsibility this season for Michkov. Last year, Michkov hovered between the first and second power-play units. This season, he runs the first unit. Last year, he played sheltered minutes against top competition. This season, he is actively facing more of the opposition's first and second lines. Michkov is also a team worst minus-11, which Tocchet has to manage.

It’s a work in progress. For perspective, the Flyers’ original plan had Michkov still playing in Russia until next season. Kirill Kaprizov didn’t arrive in the NHL until a few months shy of his 24th birthday. Michkov turns 22 next month. He might have 250 career points in the bank before he reaches Kaprizov’s starting point.

Sure, no one would be willing to go out on a limb now and say Michkov will become the next Kaprizov. But after investing so much in Michkov as part of their quest to find elite difference makers, the Flyers don’t really have any interest in finding out the hard way.

Their hope is whatever frustration exists in this forgettable first quarter can be mended and Michkov will continue to grow as a Flyer.

“He’s got so much ahead of him that we’re all really excited about,” Briere said. “He’s going in the right direction and it’s exciting to see what he can do already.”