After a promising rookie season, Matvei Michkov hit a wall in Year 2.
The classic sophomore slump can be part of the reason, but there were several layers to a poor campaign for the Philadelphia Flyers right winger.
Michkov quickly lost the trust of Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, as Tocchet said the 21-year-old showed up to camp out of shape. Some of the blame can be put on an injury he said he was recovering from during the off-season, but nonetheless, the coach couldn't rely on Michkov in all situations.
Ultimately, Tocchet is a system-oriented coach. He wants all his players to play a certain way, and there are no exceptions, even for a player of Michkov's caliber.
Michkov learned that the hard way, as his perimeter, east-west-oriented game did not fit Tocchet's north-south style.
As the season went along, Michkov became more comfortable playing that style. Following the Olympics, Michkov was the Flyers' best offensive player, with 22 points in 26 games. Yet Michkov's ice time and opportunities didn't increase significantly.
Thankfully for the Flyers and their fans, Michkov hasn't sulked, requested a trade or done anything erratic. What he's done is answer these questions exactly how you'd like him to.
Michkov has ramped up the off-season training, skipping a time when most players go on vacation.
In a recent interview with RG Media, Michkov illustrated his intense off-season training to Daria Tuboltseva.
"There was no vacation at all, because an important season is ahead," Michkov told RG.org. "I need to play well, I want that myself. So I need to keep my body in shape at all times.
Michkov has been training in Russia since the season ended, notably working out with Russian superstar Artemi Panarin.
"You can learn everything from Artemi – from passing to shooting," Michkov said. "You can take a lot from Panarin. It definitely won't hurt.
Throughout his off-season training, Mickov said he is working out three times a day. In the morning, he worked out in the gym, focusing on strength training. The afternoon would be spent on the ice, and in the evening he'd undergo physical conditioning.
"Philadelphia sent a coach to oversee my preparation for the start of next season," Michkov said. "We worked for two weeks, doing three practices a day. Unfortunately, the coach didn't have that much time, so he wanted to fit everything into two weeks.
Michkov is a player with plenty of skill who clearly hasn't had to worry about physical conditioning in the past. But the NHL is a different beast, and in a system like Tocchet's that is physically demanding, a player needs to be in top condition.
Michkov said he'll come back to Philadelphia in August to continue training and ramp up for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
All this training should only bode well for him. The seventh overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft will never be a physically dominant player looking to run defenders over like a power forward, but adding speed and strength should bring a different element to his game to make him harder to play against.
Through his first two seasons, Michkov has ranked below the 50th percentile in maximum skating speed and hasn't recorded a skating burst above 22 miles per hour, according to NHL Edge.
There are, of course, ways to be effective without having blistering speed, as Nikita Kucherov, Panarin and other NHL stars have shown. But the difference is that Kucherov and Panarin have paid their dues and now have the freedom to play the style of game that makes them so effective.
Michkov first must prove he can be trusted in his own end, push the pace of play forward and remain engaged physically throughout the game. His improved conditioning should give him the tools to do so and the confidence to do it nightly.
It might take some time for Michkov's off-season work to become apparent, but if he is committed and earns the trust of his coach, his ice time and opportunities will grow.