Flyers’ Michkov ‘not happy’ with how rookie season went

Matvei Michkov met with the media Saturday morning as part of the team’s exit interviews. And despite leading all rookies in goal scoring, and ending up tied for second in points (63) with Macklin Celebrini, Michkov was far from satisfied with his season.

“There were some difficulties but we’ll overcome them,” Michkov said as Slava Kuznetsov acted as interpreter. “Truthfully there were moments in the season where I could’ve scored a lot more. I was not very happy with my result.”

The rookie also noted that he hopes to get more playing time next season. And looking at his time on ice, it was clear there was a dramatic increase in how much he played under interim Brad Shaw versus John Tortorella. In the nine games under Shaw, Michkov played over 20 minutes five times. Previous to that, Michkov hit the 20-minute mark just six times in his first 71 games under Tortorella (who scratched him for two games despite being healthy). Three of those six under Tortorella took place in the first nine games of the season. So, in a 62-game span between the opening nine games and the closing nine games, Michkov’s ice time was over 20 minutes just three times. His average time on ice was 16:41 for the year.

“I don’t like to play not enough minutes,” Michkov said. “If I play more minutes I will feel comfortable.”

Although it’s evident Michkov and Tortorella didn’t see eye-to-eye on playing time, Michkov was diplomatic when asked about the former coach. “I think John taught me alot,” he said. “It was a pleasure to work with him as well. I think he was one of my best coaches. He had a lot under his belt (experience) and he gave me a lot. I was listening to him all the time and I’m sure in the future it will help me out. Not everything but most of it.”

The rookie also responded to Travis Konecny’s statement Friday regarding how competitive and driven Michkov is. “I don’t like to lose,” he said. “I always want to win. I think TK is one of the best players in the league. I am very happy and very honored to hear such words from a guy like that. It was a pleasure to play with him.

“A lot was not happening. Hopefully next season will be a lot better and everything will happen. We can play better.”

As for the offseason, Michkov says his plan to return to Russia and take some time off to visit friends and family he hasn’t seen in a while.

“It was truly a hard season,” Michkov said of the rigors and logistics that come with being in the NHL. “If it weren’t for the people around me and the fans it would be a lot harder. They were always giving me the extra feelings, the extra drive. Special thanks to management and the partners who were helping me in any kind of situation. And thank you to my family for being with me here.”

Elsewhere, Michkov said he wants to get better with the English language so he can communicate with his teammates. But he also says he’s not satisfied with any aspect of his game so far. So he sees room for improvement, which has to be music to the years of Flyers general manager Danny Briere, the future head coach and anyone rooting for Philadelphia.

“All aspects of my game need to be improved,” he said. “There’s nothing in the game that I am feeling 100 per cent with. There’s always room to improve. I will spend a lot of time after the rest, after the vacation to work on it.”