Forward Matvei Michkov is reportedly leaving SKA and will be joining the Philadelphia Flyers for next season, according to Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period.

Matvei Michkov reportedly has elected to be represented by CAA and will sign his entry-level contract with the Flyers. There has been no official announcement from the Flyers on Michkov, but it will be a boost to the lineup for Philadelphia to get last year's No. 7 overall pick in the lineup next season. There was a lot of uncertainty for when Michkov would join the team for Danny Briere and Keith Jones, and him coming over for next season is earlier than expected.

Danny Briere and Keith Jones said they have been operating under the assumption that Michkov would finish the final two seasons of his KHL contract before joining the Flyers, according to Max Miller of The Hockey News. It is certainly a pleasant surprise for the Flyers and their fans to get Michkov to come over for next season.

The Flyers did not miss out on the playoffs by much this season, as they massively overperformed expectations. Most expected them to be one of the top lottery teams going into this past season. The expectation is for continued growth with a young team this upcoming season in a tough Metropolitan Division.

What does Matvei Michkov bring to the Flyers' lineup?

This past season with KH Sochi, Matvei Michkov scored 19 goals with 22 assists for 41 points, according to NHL.com. Michkov is a center who is undoubtedly going to be a significant part of the Flyers' future. If he hits the ground running in the NHL, he could see himself in the top six at the very least for the Flyers next season.

Still, Michkov will be playing on a team that is coached by John Tortorella, who is not going to give him a big role if he does not earn it. John Tortorella can be a good coach to establish a foundation, but it is not necessarily going to be easy for young players who are transitioning to the NHL. It will be interesting to see how Michkov fits in with Tortorella and the team overall next season. The Flyers will likely give Michkov a lot of run, as even though they were in a playoff position for most of this past season, they were seemingly taking a long-term view when it came to the decisions they made.

With Michkov coming over, we will get a first look at a player who hopes to be part of the next Flyers team that is a true contender in the Eastern Conference. It is a nice surprise for a team that had a disappointing close to the regular season.