The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Matvei Michkov will be scratched for the team's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, and Anthony Richard will be making his debut for the team.
This will be the first time that Matvei Michkov will be left out of the lineup. The Flyers selected Michkov with the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and he has produced in his first 13 games in the league, making this move a bit of a surprise. The rookie has scored four goals and dished out six assists for 10 points in 13 career games so far, according to NHL.com.
Flyers head coach John Tortorella is not averse to sitting young players, as has been demonstrated throughout his career, especially if they are not showing up on the defensive end. However, when speaking on this decision, he emphasized the importance of letting a player watch for development.
“It's part of the process,” John Tortorella said, via Tyler Kuehl of Daily Faceoff. “With young guys, they can watch games too, as far as development, so it's trying to help them.”
Michkov is just 19 years old, and the long-term is much more important when it comes to his role with the Flyers, so they will prioritize his development. Still, it does come as a bit of a surprise with how he has played so far. He has spent most of his time on a line with veterans Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier, which should prove to be valuable experience. He has also gotten a considerable amount of time on the special teams units, considering that he is 19 years old.
Flyers prioritizing development amid rough start to season
The Flyers as an organization have been in a bit of a rebuilding mindset in recent years, even throughout last season as they were surprisingly in a playoff position for the majority of the year. They eventually fell out at the end of the season. This year, they are currently 4-8-1 and tied with the Nashville Predators for the worst record in the league.
Philadelphia will try to come out of that hole to contend again, but it is clear that they are still in a long-term mindset. Tortorella believes in giving young players time off of the ice to observe games and learn from that experience. It will be interesting to see if Michkov returns to the lineup for the Flyers' game on Saturday against the Florida Panthers.
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