Jackie Spiegel reported this morning that the Flyers appeared to run new forward lines and defense pairs at practice, with Matvei Michkov skating alongside Porter Martone.
Rick Tocchet's team is 5-10-6 and sits 28th in the NHL, and the trade chatter around Michkov hasn't gone quiet. Philadelphia opens in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 14, and these combinations may be what he sends out.
Spiegel noted that this is what the lines looked like in practice:
These are practice lines, and they only looked like this. Nothing here is a confirmed lineup for Saturday.
The third line is the one to watch. Michkov has 10 goals and 15 points in 21 games, including 5 power-play goals, and he's getting a rookie-class winger in Martone and a defensive-minded Noah Cates. Whether that's a way to get him going at even strength or a showcase, it's a lot of talent on a line that sits below Trevor Zegras's.
Zegras has 14 points and centers Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny. Konecny has just 2 goals in 11 games, so that unit has plenty to prove.
Why Noel Acciari and David Jiřiček matter in these pairings
Noel Acciari is on the fourth line next to Denver Barkey and Sean Couturier. Spiegel posted that he was on the ice with everyone after leaving the Edmonton game with an upper-body injury.
His presence in the mix is good news, and we covered the Michkov and Seeler bench clash earlier this week, which is part of why Cates and Martone beside Michkov draws extra eyes.
On defense, Jiřiček is on the third pair with Simon Benoit, while Rasmus Ristolainen is in the group with Nick Seeler. Jiřiček has 1 point in 10 games this season, and he'd be playing against the team that drafted him sixth overall in 2022.
I don't love a bottom pair that leaves Jiřiček as the odd man out. Ristolainen has played 5 games and Jiřiček 10, and the Flyers' defense is still giving up goals at a rate that put them at 69 against.
Columbus has lost 3 straight and is 1-5-0 on the road, so Saturday is a chance for Tocchet to see what these lines can do. The Flyers will have to decide quickly whether these pairings stay together.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Who should skate with Matvei Michkov on Saturday?
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