SKA St. Petersburg head coach Roman Rotenberg had a chance to deny the rumors, and Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov had a chance to deny the rumors. Neither did. Now, the NHL dream for Michkov and the Flyers is still very much alive for this summer.
Both Michkov and Rotenberg spoke on the Flyers rumors in interviews with MatchTV and did everything but squash the chatter.
“I don’t know where such rumors come from. Apparently, someone in America decided that everything is better visible and audible from there, but this is not so,” Michkov said of the speculation that he and Rotenberg have a fractured relationship. “Roman Borisovich and I have a great relationship! We are constantly in touch, talking. He gives a lot of practical and valuable advice. We have complete mutual understanding with the club and with him personally, which I really appreciate.”
The speculation about Rotenberg is primarily based on his frequent exclusions of Michkov from his teams. For example, the Flyers prospect was twice sent on loan away from SKA to HK Sochi, and Michkov was recently left off the Russian U25 National Team.
The Flyers’ 2023 seventh overall pick is, objectively, more talented than the overwhelming majority of his peers on both squads.
“No attention. My business is to be 100% ready and show your best hockey in any situation,” Michkov added, addressing the talk on the internet. “I try not to be distracted by reading the news; it only prevents me from fully preparing for the season.”
At this time, it still remains unclear whether the season will be Michkov’s NHL debut, or third in the KHL. The Russian starlet appeared in 47 games for Sochi last season, scoring 19 goals and 22 assists in only 47 games. Sochi did, however, miss the playoffs by a comfortable margin–something the Flyers hope they won’t do much of once Michkov officially arrives in North America.
