Is Michkov’s Lack of Ice Time Early Cause for Concern?

We’re five games into the 2025-26 season, and one big takaway has been the ice time of Matvei Michkov, or the lack thereof. Expectations are sky high for the Flyers’ phenom, and said lofty projection has not been seen to this point.

Michkov has struggled to start the season. There has not been much regarding offensive production from the team’s star. He has just one point, coming from his third period goal against the Winnipeg Jets.

So far this season, we have seen Michkov benched during both overtime games. He has fallen victim to a shortended bench on multiple occasions. His ice time has been below 15 minutes in all but one game this season, including just a hair over 12 minutes in Saturday’s overtime win.

Here is a log of Michkov’s ice time and shifts this season:

10/9 @ FLA: 14:54, 25 shifts
10/11 @ CAR: 13:27, 21 shifts
10/13 vs. FLA: 14:56, 17 shifts
10/16 vs. WPG: 18:48, 22 shifts
10/18 vs. MIN: 12:07, 16 shifts

Now, to head coah Rick Tocchet’s point early on, it’s hard for Michkov to have high ice time when the game shrinks to 50 minutes. The team committed five penalties in each of the first three games. They comitted roughly 10 minutes in each to the penalty kill, something Michkov does not do.

In the fourth game, the Flyers were much more disciplined. Plus, they trailed for most of the game, giving Michkov much more opportunity.

However, is Michkov’s lack of high ice time concerning this season?

Read More: Flyers Postgame: Tocchet Explains Michkov’s Absence in Overtime

Michkov’s Sophomore Struggles

The sophomore slump is a real thing. While it’s still way too early in the season to say that Michkov has fallen victim to the slump, his lack of ice time is beginning to be worrisome. That comes from both sides. First, it’s a bit concerning that Tocchet is limiting his minutes this early in the season. At the same time, it’s also concerning that he has yet to earn thay ice time.

Tocchet revelaed that Michkov came into camp a little bit behind in training after sustaining an ankle injury during the offseason. That’s definatley a factor in his slow start.

Regarding the minutes, it’s not Tocchet’s job to sacrafice trying to win in an attempt to break any player out of a slump. Coaches coach to win, and Tocchet has been playing his best nine forwards late in games, including overtime.

While overall, Michkov is undoubtedly one of the best nine players, let alone forwards on this team, he is still making young player mistakes.

On Vladimir Tarasenko’s goal against the Flyers on Saturday, Michkov was not even in the zone. He was not explicitly benched after the play, but that was the bigger of the dominos to fall leading to his shortened night.

Is This Cause for Concern

Michkov’s early season struggles are in no way ideal. He is certainly an X factor to the Flyers’ success. If the lack of late game minutes continues, alarms should start sounding. However, it’s only been five games. We have yet even to reach double digit games.

Let’s pump the breaks on the concern for now, and remember that Michkov is 20 years old playing in the NHL for a big market team. Pressure and expectations will always be high, and mistakes will be made.

Do I think Michkov should be losing minutes late in games? Absolutely not. Unless the Flyers are leading by a small margin, I see no reason why one of your most dynamic producers should be sitting on the bench, even if his start is not as strong as you’d hope.

Tocchet said earlier in the week that he does not beleive a night off is right for Michkov, and that he needs to play through his struggles. However, what good is sitting on the bench going to do for him?

It’s a new coach and new system. Both the player and coach are trying to figure each other out. There is and will continue to be a learning curve.

“Not everybody is a system guy. You don’t want a lot of robots out there, and I don’t want him (Michkov) to be a robot. But, there’s also things you have to participate in on the team part. Everyone has to have somehwat of the same standard. You can’t let people do what they want, then you’ll lose all the time,” Tocchet told reporters on Sunday.

He said Michkov is learning, initiating video sessions, and even said he can tell you that he was in the wrong spot on the Tarasenko goal. Michkov just has to learn how to mesh his offensive mind with a team system.

So, for now, I’d say Michkov’s lack of minutes early in the season are not cause for worry. Tocchet recognizes the learning curve, and knows the amount of potential Michkov possesses. However, if the trend continues as the season progresses, it might be time for some concern.

Read More: 3 Flyers Takeaways: Slow Starts; Tippett Groving; Vladar Shines