Chris Johnston says the Flyers must solve the Matvei Michkov situation fast, but he doesn't see a forced trade today.
The saga has hung over the Flyers all week, and Johnston has now given his read on where it stands. He earlier said this is not a formal trade request, and that framing matters for everything that follows.
Johnston called it a high-priority situation for the Flyers to figure out. He added that he doesn't think they're in a spot where they have to move the 21-year-old forward today.
The real warning is about the price. If Philadelphia ever does get pushed into a deal, Johnston finds it hard to imagine the Flyers coming out on the positive end of that trade.
Pierre LeBrun added that the noise around the story has teams picking up the phone. Other clubs are checking in with the Flyers to ask what's really going on and whether Michkov is truly available, something LeBrun said the Flyers may not have wanted out there.
That sits awkwardly next to what Philadelphia has been saying. Danny Briere told Frank Seravalli on Wednesday that the Flyers have no plan to trade him, and Elliotte Friedman's read on the Flyers' handling of Michkov is that Briere is committed to him for the long term.
On the ice Wednesday, Michkov played 20:44 in the 3-2 overtime loss in Edmonton and picked up an assist. That is hardly the usage of a player on the way out.
Why a Michkov trade now would be a hard sell
Every team that calls knows the Flyers are being asked about him. That is a bad position to negotiate from, and it is why a deal made under pressure would likely come back light.
The production is not the problem. Michkov has 10 goals and 15 points in 21 games, with 5 of those goals on the power play, though his -11 shows the Flyers are leaking at the other end when he's out there.
His entry-level contract runs through this season. Any buyer will weigh that, but a team that sells in this atmosphere hands the leverage to the other side.
Philadelphia is 5-10-6 and sits 28th in the NHL, so patience will be tested. The Flyers play at Columbus on Saturday, and Michkov's role in that game will be watched as closely as anything Briere says.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
What should the Flyers do with Matvei Michkov?
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