Highly-touted Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov will spend Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the press box.
The team announced that they made Michkov a healthy scratch in favour of forward Anthony Richard, who will slot into the lineup. Michkov has thus far appeared in all 13 games.
Though this is his first healthy scratch, Michkov has seen his ice time steadily decline over the past four games, going from 21:33 TOI on Oct. 27 to 13:57 on Nov. 5.
“It’s just part of the process,” head coach John Tortorella told reporters. “With young guys, they can watch games too, as far as development. It’s trying to help him.”
The 19-year-old is leading rookies in scoring, with four goals and six assists in 13 games. Despite this, he’s faced a steep defensive learning curve. The Flyers are getting out-scored 10-4 while he’s on the ice at even-strength. He’s also committed a team-high 19 giveaways, including five in the defensive zone.
The Flyers used their seventh-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to select Michkov, which was considered a controversial move since his KHL contract was set to keep him in Russia until 2026. He made the move to North America ahead of the 2024-25 season to participate in the Flyers’ training camp.
The Flyers are currently sitting last-place in the Eastern Conference with a 4-8-1 record.