Matvei Michkov had a lot of firsts during his rookie season with the Philadelphia Flyers. However, one first that he has yet to experience is recording a hat trick.
Michkov had seven multi-goal games during his rookie year, giving him more than a few chances to complete the hat trick. But whether it was the “HAT TRICK WATCH” graphic curse, a failed Michigan attempt, or an empty-net flub, the Russian couldn’t complete the hatty.
The Flyers winger was back in Russia for most of the summer, dominating a 3-on-3 tournament, scoring a Michigan in the KHL-NHL All-Star Game, and meeting with the media. During one of those interviews, Michkov was asked about his infamous failed empty-net attempt.
“Nah, honestly, I barely slept for like four days after that chance where I could’ve scored a hat trick,” Michkov said via translation. “And honestly, I wasn’t even that embarrassed about missing the empty net. I mean, yeah, that’s embarrassing too, but that’s not the main thing.”
Here’s a look at how close he came, in case you forgot.
MICHKOV HITS THE POST ON THE EMPTY NET FOR HIS FIRST CAREER HATTRICK AND IMMEDIATELY RUNS DOWN THE TUNNEL#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/sT1D6VLLSt
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) March 28, 2025
Travis Konecny had a chance to put a shot on net himself, but unselfishly passed it over to Michkov for a chance at the hat trick. That’s what Michkov lost sleep over.
“The worst part is that my teammate gave up the shot himself. He could’ve scored on the empty net, but he passed it to me so I could get the hat trick,” Michkov explained. “And then I let him down, missed the shot, so he didn’t get the assist, and I didn’t get the hat trick.”
Michkov and Konecny had quite the connection during the 2024-25 season, despite the lines getting juggled around by John Tororella. Konecny had 10 assists on Michkov’s goals, while the rookie had six assists to TK.
“I felt really bad about it. Later, I went up to him, apologized, thanked him for the pass, and said ‘Thanks, man… sorry about that.’ … He was like, ‘It’s all good. I might’ve missed too,'” Michkov laughed. “‘Who knows how it would’ve gone if I got the same pass? No big deal, there’s always next game. You’ll score then.'”
Konecny was absolutely right as Michkov followed up his two-goal performance against the Canadiens with another pair of goals two days later against Buffalo — both assisted by TK.
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The duo of Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale were happily reunited as teammates when the Philadelphia Flyers traded for the former from the Anaheim Ducks last month. Two best friends back together to spend some time on the ice wearing the same colors. But that of course has now brought up an old quote that needed some clarification.
When Drysdale was initially traded as part of the return for maligned Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier in January 2024, Zegras told the media that he was going to really miss the defenseman. Well, he did it in his own words.
“We pretty much do everything together. We pee together, we get injured together, we sleep together,” Zegras said of Drysdale when the trade went down last year.
Anyone with any cognitive ability to understand humor knew that the young center was joking around on the specifics, but just wanted to express just how close the two of them were. Drafted by Anaheim in consecutive years and were both brought up through the organization around the same time — specifically, Drysdale had to make the NHL at just 18 years old, the same season Zegras was a rookie, because of the COVID pandemic, but that’s a whole other thing — the two clearly formed a close bond.
So, now that they are teammates once again in Philadelphia, that comment went semi-viral once again and Zegras had to make sure people knew he was joking around.
At a charity hockey game in Connecticut called Shoulder Check, both Zegras and Drysdale participated and with some media presence, the center was asked about the quote once again.
Trevor Zegras saw everyone re-sharing this when he was traded to the Flyers, and needs to clear the air!https://t.co/I1AUjwXueF pic.twitter.com/UvILjGHB6G
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 25, 2025
“It’s from a movie. I did say it,” Zegras said. “It’s funny, I did say that to somebody very early in the morning. I didn’t think it would take the shape that it did. Definitely makes me reconsider the things that I say to the reporters because it was more off the cuff and trying to be funny. When it’s just blocked in two paragraphs, with our faces, obviously it can take a different turn, but I still think it’s pretty funny.”
The last thing we want is Trevor Zegras to be more cagey towards the media. Maybe the one beacon of hope for hockey players to not just become completely cold robots with zero interesting quotes coming out of the mouths; we need Zegras to feel even more comfortable trying to crack jokes. For the sake of fans, everywhere.
Here’s hoping that there are even more opportunities for this duo to be in front of a camera together, though. The Flyers were given a gift to make content out of and now that these best friends are reunited — defenseman Cam York is a part of the group, as well — who knows what could happen throughout next season off the ice and with a microphone in their hands.
Zegras does have some pressure to perform on the ice, though. Acquired for nothing but a solid fourth-line center and a couple of draft picks, there isn’t the pressure of a high acquisition cost, but it is the pressure of potentially being an answer down the middle. Maybe at first, if there is some struggling to start the season, we won’t get to see Zegras’s personality fully flourish off the ice. But, if the Flyers hit the ground running and Zegras is a point-per-game center that has fixed this team’s power play, we should see some real fun, hopefully lighthearted quotes come from the young center.
It all starts when the Flyers visit the New York Islanders on Sept. 21 for their first preseason game.
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The Flyers’ goaltending was much maligned most of 2024-25 — and for very good reasons. On most nights, they were way south of average, giving the team in front of them little confidence that the goalie would be able to make a key save. Regardless, there were a few times that the trio of Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov looked like they were very good NHL goaltenders. Here then are five occasions where the trio looked like they were providing key saves when they were called upon. We’re also hoping there’s more variety to choose from in the coming season.
5) Aleksei Kolosov versus Boston (December 7, 2024)
In one of the handful of occasions where Aleksei Kolosov came up big, the Belarus-born goalie stoned the Bruins with a great save. The Flyers were on the penalty kill, and the Bruins scored shortly thereafter. But during the preceding moments, Kolosov read a cross ice pass to a wide open Morgan Geekie. Geekie’s one-timer should’ve found the back of the net, but Kolosov stretched out to get his right goalie pad on the puck. The subsequent rebound was also blocked.
Kolosov gave up four goals on 31 shots that game for an .871 save percentage. The Flyers ended up losing the game 4-3 in overtime, leading then head coach John Tortorella to air his beef with what he determined to be Boston diving during the game.
4) Ivan Fedotov versus Vegas (November 25, 2024)
Fedotov, like any other goalie in the Philadelphia net, had a rough year. Fedotov sometimes was considered the backup. Other times he was off in third-stringer land, not quite in the mix with the Flyers but also not being sent down to Lehigh Valley. But in this contest against the highly talented Vegas Golden Knights, Fedotov made a lovely toe save on Pavel Dorofeyev. Dorofeyev attempted to lift the puck on the backhand just over Fedotov’s sprawling pad but didn’t get it quite high enough. Fortunately for Fedotov, the Golden Knight couldn’t quickly control the rebound as Fedotov’s momentum put him way out of position for a rebound. Again, it seemed to be the exception to a rule of bad goaltending. But there was evidence the goaltenders did make some good saves, as Fedotov did here.
3) Sam Ersson versus Vancouver (October 11, 2024)
In the season opener against Vancouver, a game the Flyers eventually won, Sam Ersson came up big early in the contest. With Philadelphia on the penalty kill, the potent Canucks took the puck down low. Brock Boeser took a pass and looked to have a decent portion of the net to score. However Ersson’s glove hand came out and robbed Boeser of Vancouver’s opening goal of 2024-25, at least for a little while. Boeser and his teammates could be seen shaking their heads as Boeser put his stick over his head in frustration. Meanwhile Ersson looked a little bit like Patrick Roy as he played up the save a little bit more than he usually does. Again it was a good save. Just didn’t get enough of them over the season.
2) Sam Ersson versus St. Louis (October 31, 2024)
Ersson was called on to make necessary and timely saves throughout the year. He came up big against the Blues last Halloween at the Wells Fargo Center. With the Blues down a goal in the dying seconds, and with their goaltender Jordan Binnington pulled for an extra skater, Ersson was huge making a save with roughly 20 seconds to go in regulation. Blues defenseman Justin Faulk saw Brayden Schenn open for a pass. Faulk quickly deliver the puck to Schenn perfectly. Schenn tried to shovel the puck through Ersson’s five hole to tie things up. Unfortunately for St. Louis, Ersson got enough of the puck to keep it from sliding through.
That’s not to say he was confident in making the save judging by him looking behind to see if he had it. But he did have it for the refs to blow the whistle. Ersson stopped 20 of 21 shots the Blues tossed on him that night as the Flyers eked out a 2-1 win.
Sam Ersson's huge save on Brayden Schenn at the end#Flyers pic.twitter.com/fOArcVEVT6
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) November 1, 2024
1) Sam Ersson versus Florida (January 30, 2025)
The Flyers have played the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions tough the last two regular seasons, squeezing out some hard-fought wins in the process. With Philadelphia up 4-3, and limiting the Panthers to 19 shots over the first 56 minutes of the contest, Florida had a fantastic shift in the Flyers zone. Former Flyer Morgan Frost didn’t endear himself to his teammates or former head coach John Tortorella with a series of brain cramps. Frost had the puck for a clearing attempt but simply gave the puck away to Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen. Luostarinen’s great chance was stonewalled by Ersson.
From there, the rebound went back to Frost, who again handed the puck to the opposition. Luostarinen took a quick pass for another attempt but Ersson again was great. Frost (or Travis Konecny) left Florida’s Anton Lundell alone in front. Lundell’s backhand just in front of the goal crease was stopped by Ersson’s quick left goalie pad. But the highlight of the quartet of saves was the finale. Lundell managed to get the rebound to his forehand and took another shot. A diving Ersson got a piece of it, whether it was his stick which deflected it to the side of the goal or some other part of him.
It was a sequence that showed Ersson has it in him to make some great saves. Here’s hoping the clip below is a forerunner of what he might have in him when the 2025-26 season rolls around. As for the saves against Florida, they were huge in terms of the game’s outcome as the Flyers edged the Panthers 4-3 in regulation.
WHAT A SEQUENCE OF SAVES!
Samuel Ersson, oh my! pic.twitter.com/EduUfavZAb
— NHL (@NHL) January 14, 2025
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While they participated as part of the Canadian roster at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, Flyers winger Travis Konecny and defenseman Travis Sanheim have been named to Team Canada’s Orientation Camp on the road to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano, Italy. The camp, consisting of presentations, team-building exercises, team meetings and media availabilities, will be held in Calgary and run from Aug. 26-28.
9⃣2⃣ players from's men's, women's and para hockey programs have earned invites to National Teams Orientation Camp in Calgary.
9⃣2⃣ athlètes de hockey masculin, de hockey féminin et de parahockey du
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 1, 2025
The official list, recently released, sees Sanheim as one of 13 defensemen named to the camp that includes Florida’s Aaron Ekblad, Colorado’s Cale Makar and Devon Toews, Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard and Montreal’s Noah Dobson among others. Sanheim is actually the lone defenseman represented a team in the Metropolitan Division and one of only three (Dobson and Ekblad the other two) to be chosen from the Eastern Conference. In three games during the 4 Nations Face-Off, Sanheim had one assist and was a -1 overall in terms of plus/minus.
Getting the nod again for possibly representing Team Canada next February should be another boost to his confidence. Sanheim, who didn’t miss a game in 2024-25 for the Flyers, had eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points. While the offensive production dropped from 44 points to 30 last season, Sanheim was one of the steadier Flyers defensemen all season.
Meanwhile Konecny is one of 26 forwards named to the camp. And the list is oozing talent with Connor McDavid, Nathan McKinnon, Mitch Marner, Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, Macklin Celebrini and Mark Scheifele among others (including Tom Wilson, Quinton Byfield and Carter Verhaeghe). Konecny, who played two games in the 4 Nations Face-Off but was held pointless, is coming off a career high in points and assists with 76 and 52, respectively. Konecny’s goal production dropped considerably in the latter half of 2024-25, but it’s expected he’ll rebound next season, particularly with the addition of Trevor Zegras as well as Matvei Michkov now with a full season of NHL play under his belt. The Team Canada roster is rounded out by three goaltenders including St. Louis keeper Jordan Binnington, who backstopped Canada in their victory over the U.S. in the 4 Nations Face-Off final.
If there was one slight disappointment, it might have been whether the list would’ve included Tyson Foerster as a dark horse for the team. Foerster played for Canada during the World Hockey Championships but his status to start the season remains in doubt. Foerster underwent surgery to his elbow to resolve an issue stemming from an infection he got during the World Hockey Championships last spring. A healthy Foerster might have been a long shot to make this upcoming camp, but it would’ve been a nod to his progress and development.
Nonetheless, it’s a little tip of the hat to both Konecny and Sanheim who should be in the mix for two of the roster spots. And they’ll also know they’ll be seeing new Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet as an assistant coach under Jon Cooper as part of the Canadian coaching staff. The NHL is returning to the Winter Olympics for the first time since the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
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Rick Tocchet will start his fourth tenure being the head coach of a National Hockey League team this fall when he’s behind the bench for the Philadelphia Flyers. Tocchet, who won a Jack Adams Award with Vancouver, had previous stints with Tampa Bay and Arizona before getting the nod (and then the axe) with the Canucks. And although he had had different situations, players and teams in various stages of development, Tocchet is hoping to get off to a fast, strong start in the Metropolitan Division. Add to that a schedule that is extremely brutal for three months of the season and that task becomes a little tougher than usual. Thus it’s important that the wins are banked as soon as possible as games in hand will be anything but guaranteed wins the longer the season goes on and the bumps, bruises and travel catches up with every player and team.
Here then is a look back at each of the previous nine seasons Tocchet has coached a team. Sometimes his first 20 games with them were in the or early part of a season when he replaced Barry Melrose and Bruce Boudreau, respectively. Most of the team he was starting with the team he was coaching. And like most NHL coaches, there are some seasons that he fared far better than others. Let’s take a look.
Tampa Bay Lightning (2008-09)
Barry Melrose was the Lightning’s head coach on opening night of the 2008-09 season. But he was gone before American Thanksgiving kicked in. Tocchet assumed coaching duties but his first 20 games with Tampa were bad. Tocchet saw Tampa limp through the first 20 games with Tocchet a horrendous 5-9-6 for 16 out of a possible 40 points. Or a .400 winning percentage. Tampa managed to eke out just one regulation win in its first 12 contests. The team was competitive most nights judging by the six combined shootout and overtime losses, but couldn’t find that extra gear or goal to get them over the hump. They also scored 51 goals while giving up 64 in those first 20 contests. Nobody expected Tocchet to lead the Lightning to a 20-0-0 record, but most people expected a .500 or better stretch while he was getting used to being the guy behind the bench.
Tocchet’s .400 was marginally better than the .394 winning percentage he ended the year with, going 19-33-14 over Tampa Bay’s final 66 games of the year. Needless to say, Tocchet hit the ground, but he certainly wasn’t running.
Tampa Bay Lightning (2009-10)
With a year under his belt, more experience and a proper off-season, training camp and practice time to work with the team, Tocchet kicked off 2009-10 with Tampa losing three straight (but earning two loser points). However, there weren’t any highs or lows over the opening 20 games. Tampa never had a winning streak of longer than two games but never had a losing streak (outside of the first three games) longer than two games. Perhaps the surprising stat is that the Lightning never lost in regulation at home during the opening 20-game stretch, going 5-0-4 over that time frame. Tampa Bay scored 52 goals over the first 20 games while giving up 58 goals over that same time period.
As for the record over 20 games, Tampa Bay was better over Tocchet’s first 20 the previous year, going 8-5-7 for 23 points in 20 games. That’s a .575 winning percentage. The optimist could say Tampa only had five games out of 20 where they didn’t register a point. Meanwhile the glass-half-empty section of the population could argue the Lightning only won eight of 20 games for a .400 winning percentage. Regardless, if the Flyers could somehow mirror or come close to mirroring that home record to start 2025-26, that would go a long way to Tocchet having solid footing in his new role with the Flyers while the roster gains more confidence in him leading the way.
Arizona Coyotes (2017-18)
When Tocchet took over and became the Coyotes’ head coach, he probably assumed things couldn’t possibly go as badly as they did when he started coaching the Lightning. And he would’ve assumed wrong. Tocchet’s first 20-game stretch in Arizona were abysmal. The Coyotes started the first 10 games of the season winless (0-9-1), getting a lone loser point in the second game of the year against Vegas in an overtime loss. A few of the games were not close, but generally Arizona was just good enough to remain with a boxer’s chance of winning. The team just never won. Arizona won its first game of the season against (you guessed it) the Flyers, a 4-3 overtime win on Oct. 30.
The second 10-game stretch went marginally better, resulting in a 2-15-3 record for seven out of a possible 40 points. That’s a futile .175 winning percentage. Arizona had 44 goals for while giving up 71 over that span. Clearly, a horribly slow start that the Flyers would do anything to avoid when October rolls around.
Arizona Coyotes (2018-19)
A five-game winning streak was the highlight in the first 20 games for Arizona in 2018-19. After losing five of the first seven games, Arizona managed to steady the ship somewhat, going 9-9-2 after 20 games. The .500 winning percentage was okay for a team that imploded so quickly to start the previous year. The team was shutout on four different occasions in the first 20 games, proof that goals were hard to come by for Arizona. The Coyotes scored 49 goals in that opening quarter while giving up 51 against. Again, not the stunning start a lot of teams need to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. But not a complete disaster. Judging by some previous seasons, I think Flyers fans would be okay with it. Not happy, but not calling for heads to roll.
Arizona Coyotes (2019-20)
The fifth time’s the charm! Tocchet saw the Coyotes chomping at the bit to start the 2019-20 season, ending up with a rather impressive 11-7-2 record for 24 points in 20 games. The .600 winning percentage. In one 10-game stretch over those 20 games Arizona was 8-2-0 with the only losses at the hands of the Islanders and Montreal. The team also had a 5-2-0 record at home over those 20 games, scoring 56 goals while allowing 49.
Also, the Coyotes road record over this first 20 games was very strong in terms of their road record, going 7-3-2 in that time frame. This included getting three of four points in Alberta against the Oilers and Flames while also going 3-1 in a four-game East Coast tilt against the Islanders, Rangers, New Jersey and Buffalo. In terms of goals for and goals allowed, the Coyotes scored 58 goals over the first 20 games. They gave up 49. Four games over .500 heading into the second quarter of the season wouldn’t be bad at all.
Arizona Coyotes (2020-21)
In looking back at the pandemic and the ramifications the NHL had due to its reach, the season logs for each team will be one for the record books. For example, Arizona played St. Louis SEVEN CONSECUTIVE TIMES in their first 20 games of the year. That is only supposed to happen in the playoffs. The Coyotes played just six different teams over those 20 games of the 56-game schedule. They managed to muster a 9-8-3 record over those contests. They only had a three-game winning streak once but, like Tocchet’s season with Tampa back in 2009-10, didn’t have a prolonged winning streak or losing streak over that stretch. Oh, as for St. Louis, Arizona went 4-2-1 in those seven games.
The schedule was also quite friendly to Arizona in the opening 20 games as they played at home 14 times. Their record was a rather less-than-scintillating 6-5-3 at home. They were 3-3-0 on the road. Again, it was an oddity for the league doing the best they could with the dilemma facing everyone in all sports. But one that Tocchet and his team muddled through. Also, 54 goals for and 58 goals against. The season would also mark the end of Tocchet’s tenure with Arizona.
Vancouver Canucks (2022-23)
After Bruce Boudreau was fired 46 games into the season, Tocchet assumed the role of head coach for the Canucks. The Canucks ebbed and flowed in the first half of the 20-game stretch under Tocchet, but thanks to a five-game winning streak to end the 20-game mark finished 11-7-2, identical to his stretch with Arizona back in 2019-20. The Canucks won five of six on a lengthy homestand to get four games over .500 for that time span, ending up with 24 out of 40 points for a .600 winning percentage.
The Canucks of that season was also responsible for the most offensive production by far Tocchet seen from any of his teams in their opening 20 games with him at the helm. Vancouver scored 72 goals in those 20 games. They also gave up the most amount of goals Tocchet saw in his opening 20 games with any one team, allowing 69 over that stretch. In short, Tocchet was freewheeling with the roster that he had. It’s a possibility Tocchet could simply let the Flyers play run and gun, but it might not be the best way to measure success.
Vancouver Canucks (2023-24)
Tocchet’s 2023-24 year was great if the Jack Adams Award afterwards wasn’t evidence enough. The Canucks were the equivalent of Secretariat, leaping out in front and daring the competition to come anywhere close to them. Vancouver amassed a stellar 13-6-1 record over the opening 20 tilts. A five-game winning streak was the highlight as well as a few shorter streaks equally impressive. Only once were they shutout in that 20 games (courtesy of your Philadelphia Flyers) but buried Edmonton 8-1 in their season opener and then demolished the lowly Sharks 10-1 later in October.
Tocchet saw Vancouver score 80 goals in the first 20, or averaging four goals per game. And they only allowed 51 goals by the same token. That’s a +29 goal differential, a rather lofty statistic! It demonstrated that Tocchet was able to keep Vancouver running and gunning but somehow curtailing the mistakes in their own end far more often than in 2022-23. Vancouver went 50-23-9 overall, winning a playoff round (Tocchet’s first and only playoff series victory as a head coach) before bowing out in the second round. If Philadelphia went this red hot to start the season Tocchet might be seeing the Jack Adams Award a lot sooner than later.
Vancouver Canucks (2024-25)
Tocchet, much like the Canucks, had a huge undertaking entering this season, namely be better after having a terrific regular season the year before. The 82-game season was basically supposed to be the appetizer to what was expected to be an extended playoff run. However, as has been well documented, things fell apart between the players and between the players and Tocchet. A messy ending. However, the opening 20 games here were again quite good as Vancouver opened up the season 11-6-3 over that time. A four-game winning streak and a three-game winning streak highlighted the start. On the other side a 6-0 pasting by New Jersey and a 7-3 loss to the Oilers were the low points.
Another aspect of this 20-game segment was how well Vancouver played on the road, going a near perfect 8-1-0. In fact they lost their road opener to Tampa Bay 4-1 but were flawless after that. Vancouver scored 63 times while allowing 62. The start was perhaps the highlight of the Canucks year as they floundered most of the season, rarely going on extended losing streaks but winning fewer games than they did the previous year. Having 14 points from losing in overtimes or in shootouts didn’t help getting Vancouver to the playoffs as they were on the outside looking in when the season concluded. And Tocchet was done.
So what do these starts mean for Philadelphia?
Over the course of Tocchet’s nine seasons running an NHL team, there have been seasons where his team looked terrible to start the year. Other seasons they muddled just over the .500 mark but not by a lot. And then there were seasons like the 2023-24 season in Vancouver where he was lights out.
A lot of that start depends on the Flyers themselves. If they get off to a great or solid start, then that takes a bit of the heat off Tocchet as well as a few of the new guys on the roster, particularly Trevor Zegras. It’s doubtful Tocchet is going to be fired after one season, but it’s probably clear that Tocchet’s honeymoon phase in Philadelphia will be the shortest by far of any of his previous teams, including Vancouver. Ideally, Philadelphia hit the ground running, enabling both the coach and the team to move forward in the hopes of making the next logical step in the rebuild when the 82-game season ends: a playoff spot.
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There’s been a lot of discourse about what the Philadelphia Flyers are missing from their prospect pool and roster that keeps them from being a Stanley Cup contending team, but it usually boils down to three things: a No. 1 center, a No. 1 defenseman, and a true starting goaltender.
As far as goalies go, 19-year old Yegor Zavragin may be the real deal; in 43 regular season games between HK Sochi and SKA St. Petersburg last season, he posted a .927 save-percentage (SV%). If Zavragin keeps that up, he’s well on track to, hopefully, become a formidable NHL goalie–and will be worth the wait.
On defense, there’s no clear cut, all-situations No. 1 defenseman–not on the roster and not in the pipeline. Travis Sanheim has been very good, and Cam York may have more to give, but beyond that the Flyers lack a do-it-all blueliner. That said, they may not need one–if you don’t have a future Hall of Fame caliber defenseman (think Victor Hedman or Cale Makar), teams can get by doing defense by committee. The Florida Panthers are proof positive; you can’t really point to Aaron Ekblad or Seth Jones or even Gustav Forsling and say, “that’s a true blue number one defenseman.” All of them are very good, top-pair quality defensemen, and having a collection of great-but-not-quite-stars blue liners without a bona fide No. 1 might not be the weakness we imagine.
That leaves top-line center as the last role to be filled, and true No. 1 centers are a rare commodity. Connor McDavid. Nathan MacKinnon. Sidney Crosby. Auston Matthews. Aleksander Barkov. Anze Kopitar. Jack Hughes. Brayden Point. These are the best-of-the-best in their role, and the only one to get traded in recent memory–Jack Eichel–was moved because he wanted to take control of his medical care. The Flyers are going to be hard-pressed to find a player of that caliber to solve their problem.
Except…what if they don’t actually need a first-line center in quite the way we think?
This was a discussion we had on the Broad Street Hockey Podcast (please like and subscribe to our various channels), and it got me thinking about “what makes an effective line” and “what’s been the best line in hockey post-COVID” and “can it work with only a star winger,” so I decided to dig in a bit deeper.
For this exercise, using MoneyPuck’s data, we’re going to look at the top lines by expected-Goals for percentage (xGF%) since the 2021-22 season that specifically feature a winger (or wingers) as the ostensible “star” player(s) on that line. In addition, lines must’ve played more than 550 minutes of 5-on-5 time together, and will be listed from highest xGF% to lowest. Keep in mind that, while no statistic is perfect, a high xGF% often indicates strong play driving ability, which is why it’s been selected as the primary stat here; 550 minutes was chosen because it generally means 60-plus games as a line, which denotes heavy usage, coach’s trust, consistency, and health.
The Lines
Players (Season) Team xGF% CF% Goals Scored Minutes Matthew Tkachuk-Elias Lindholm-Johnny Gaudreau (2021-22) Calgary Flames 62.2% 58% 72 965 Jason Robertson-Roope Hintz-Joe Pavelski (2021-22) Dallas Stars 59.5% 56.1% 51 791 Jason Robertson-Roope Hintz-Joe Pavelski (2022-23) Dallas Stars 59.2% 56% 52 765 Alexis Lafreniere-Vincent Trocheck-Artemi Panarin (2023-24) New York Rangers 55.6% 58.3% 54 863 Morgan Geekie-Pavel Zacha-David Pastrnak (2024-25) Boston Bruins 53.9% 52.5% 35 632 Kirill Kaprizov-Ryan Hartman-Mats Zuccarello (2021-22) Minnesota Wild 53.6% 54.6% 48 639 Nikolaj Ehlers-Vladislav Namestnikov-Cole Perfetti (2024-25) Winnipeg Jets 53.3% 53.6% 24 558 Alexis Lafreniere-Vincent Trocheck-Artemi Panarin (2024-25) New York Rangers 52.8% 55.7% 37 666
Some may have qualms with the inclusion of the Jets and Rangers, because they are technically “middle six” lines on their respective teams and not the actual “first” line. However, Artemi Panarin absolutely deserves star consideration, and Nikolaj Ehlers is a fantastic forward who’s been underutilized for years and may finally be able to prove his star power on the Carolina Hurricanes next season. They belong here.
The rest? First lines, all of them on teams going for it (even though the Bruins and Rangers missed the playoffs in 2024-25), and all of them powered by their elite wingers. Only one line, though, can claim two star wingers: the Calgary Flames, with Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau flanking Elias Lindholm.
Tkachuk, Gaudreau, and Lindholm spent an eye-popping 965 minutes together–that was all 82 games of the season–and posted a bonkers 62.2 xGF% and strong 58 CF%. That level of consistency, health, and dominance is rare in the NHL, especially for a top line built on the wings and not down the middle. The only top line that comes close is Dallas’, with Jason Robertson being the star winger, and Pavelski and Hintz being very good players in their own rights.
This Flames line is what inspired my discussion with Ryan Gilbert on the podcast in the video above. While not the norm, it’s testament that you can build a top-of-the-league first line from the outside in–and it’s something the Flyers have put themselves in a position to accomplish, if everything breaks right.
Why It Matters for the Flyers
The line of Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm and Johnny Gaudreau was, arguably, the best NHL line of the last four years. They played a full 82 games together, totaling nearly a thousand minutes at 5-on-5, and had the underlying stats to back up the hype. Tkachuk was a 23-year old star on the rise, Gaudreau was an established star at 27, and Lindholm was…a career middle-six guy.
Look, no statistic can neatly encapsulate a player’s entire career but, even so, it’s quite clear that Lindholm was never a top-line, Selke-contending (he finished second in 2021-22), point-per-game, play-driving center. That became immediately apparent the seasons following the departures of Tkachuk and Gaudreau, then exacerbated by a disastrous first season in Boston. Lindholm isn’t that guy.
For one season, though, he was–and it was the strength of his elite wingers that elevated him. So how does this relate to the Flyers? Well, there are some odd coincidences between that Flames line and where the Flyers could be in three or so years.
Let’s consider the Flyers’ young talent. Matvei Michkov is clearly on a star-level trajectory, scoring 26 goals and 63 points in 80 games as a 19-year old rookie. Gaudreau, as a 21-year old rookie, scored 24 goals and 64 points in 80 games–eerily similar. Michkov and Gaudreau are different players stylistically, but they are both small-ish wingers with elite traits. That’s one parallel.
Next, there’s Porter Martone, whose most frequent player comp is–that’s right–Matthew Tkachuk. They fit a similar profile of big, power forwards, and while we don’t have any NHL data on Martone, they had comparable draft years: Martone put up 37 goals and 98 points with the Brampton Steelheads, and Tkachuk had 30 goals and 107 points with the London Knights. It’s worth noting, too, that while Tkachuk scored more, that Knights team was unreal: he had Mitch Marner, Robert Thomas, and Evan Bouchard helping him out. The second highest scorer on Martone’s Steelheads was Carson Rehkopf–not quite the same level of talent. Still, that draft year production is a second parallel.
The Flyers, so far, have two young players with similar profiles to two-thirds of one of the best lines in recent memory: an elite but small-ish winger, and a scoring, high-compete power winger. That leaves one gap, and it’s the one down the middle.
If that Flames line taught us anything, the solution doesn’t need to be a high-end center–just someone who’s good enough.
“Good enough” is a broad description, but there are a couple things that allowed Lindholm to excel in a first-line center role. First and foremost, his hockey smarts; Lindholm is an intelligent center who can play with pace and knows where he needs to be to best facilitate the players on his flanks. Second, while Lindholm isn’t the most skilled player around, he has enough–and in 2021-22, it was good enough to keep up with his wingers and not hold them back: he scored 61 of his 82 points at 5-on-5, while Gaudreau scored 90 of his 115 points and Tkachuk scored 75 of his 104 points. Tkachuk and Gaudreau elevated Lindholm, and he hung right with them, which isn’t always the case.
It’s early, but it’s possible the Flyers already have a center who could fit a Lindholm-like role between Martone and Michkov. Jack Nesbitt isn’t a great skater, but he’s smart and has decent skill; Jett Luchanko isn’t much of a goal scorer, but he’s fast, strong, detailed, and can pass. On any other team, with any other wingers, Luchanko or Nesbitt would not be a clear option at “1C.” On the Flyers, however, there’s a chance one of them has the right chemistry with Michkov and Martone to have it all fall into place the same way it did for Lindholm with Tkachuk and Gaudreau.
What Went Wrong for the Flames
I can already hear you in the comments: “That Flames team didn’t win anything!” Well, they won the Pacific Division, bounced the Dallas Stars in Round One, then bowed out to the Edmonton Oilers in a solid Battle of Alberta–no shame in losing to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Flames didn’t win a Cup, but they didn’t fold in the playoffs, either.
What sunk the Flames wasn’t their top line, but their top heaviness; the team’s second most-used line was Andrew Mangiapane, Mikael Backlund, and Blake Coleman. Those are all fine players, but that’s more of a third line masquerading as a second line. In fairness, Sean Monahan struggled with injury all season and missed the playoffs entirely. Things may’ve gone differently had he been healthy.
The Flames defense was good, but not great: Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson are good players, but they weren’t exactly top-pair defensemen at that point; Hanifin has become that, and Andersson may just be a second pair guy. They put up good numbers together that season (56.8 xGF%, 55.2 CF%), but at 23 and 24 years old, respectively, and playing the second most minutes of any NHL pair in the regular season, they may’ve been a bit out of their depth by the time the playoffs rolled around.
The Flames’ biggest strength outside of their top forward line was Jacob Markstrom in net, who finished second in Vezina voting that season, but went a bit cold in the playoffs. His outstanding goaltending in the regular season covered up a lot of those roster shortcomings, but “goalies are voodoo” and you can’t count on regular season performance carrying over into the playoffs (hello, Connor Hellebuyck).
The Flames had a lot of things going for them, but one dynamite forward line and little else up front, an unproven, young top defensive pair, and a goalie running out of juice, ended their playoff bid. Calgary never got to run it back, either, because Gaudreau left in free agency and Tkachuk forced a trade to the Florida Panthers. It was a one-and-done run, and the Flames haven’t been back to the playoffs since.
How the Flyers Can Succeed
Lack of depth–especially at forward–is a problem the Flyers will most certainly not have. If the Flyers’ top line three or four years from now is Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko (or Jack Nesbitt), and Matvei Michkov, that means Travis Konecny–a top-line caliber player–is on your second line. Alongside him could be a revitalized Trevor Zegras, and perhaps an ever-improving Tyson Foerster, who would finally have two facilitators that can set up his much-touted shot. Don’t even get me started on how over-qualified the Flyers’ “bottom six” would be at that point. Heck, maybe you spread the wealth and swap Konecny and Michkov for a more balanced attack in the top six.
However, this scenario–where the Flyers don’t need a true-blue top-flight center to round out the forward group–hinges on two things: Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone becoming star-level, elite players. The statistics show you can build an outstanding, play-driving line from the outside in, but it requires at least one superstar level talent on the wing–though ideally two, like the Flames had. Then, the center doesn’t need to be a Selke contender or have a shot at the Rocket Richard–they just need to be smart enough to keep up. It is a slight disadvantage to build from the wings and not down the middle, but the Flyers certainly have the players to make it work the way Calgary did. All that’s left is for Michkov and Martone to live up to their potential, and one of the centers in the pipeline to show they’re up to the task.
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Philadelphia Flyers phenom Matvei Michkov was somehow getting completely ignored in an exercise projecting who the top NHL players will be five years from now. The list is slightly ridiculous.
We’re in the deepest canyon of the NHL offseason. Nothing is happening. People are thinking about low-end unrestricted free agents like Jack Roslovic and Victor Olofsson, who might not even finish the season in the league. It’s the worst time. So, naturally, people start to write some more future-looking articles, and none have been more crystal ball-esque than Daily Faceoff putting out a projection of the top 30 players in the NHL in the year 2030.
The entire approach of the list done by someone in Paul Pidutti (better known as @AdjustedHockey online), who is ultimately good at their job for creating benchmarks for the Hockey Hall of Fame and understanding how past players stack up against the current crop, was a mix of scouting reports and “gut feeling” as he states in the article. That’s completely fine, but it feels a little baffling for Michkov to have the rookie season he just had and not be in place of some of the names on this list.
First, Pidutti does recognize Michkov. He names the young Flyers star as an honorable mention, alongside forwards like Ivan Demidov, Logan Cooley, Nick Suzuki, David Pastrnak, and Mitch Marner. Sure, whatever.
But look at some of these players that made the top 30 instead of Michkov.
We can’t really complain about them thinking Connor McDavid is still going to be very, very good at age 33, but just looking down through the ranking and questions arise.
There is a group of players that should be easily comparable to Michkov, and when you consider that the Flyers winger will be in the middle of his prime years at age 25 and what he has done already in his first year in the NHL, there should at least be massive consideration that he will be putting up 100-point seasons by then.
When you even just look at some 5-on-5 production from his rookie year, compared to some forwards who are on this list and their past two seasons combined, Michkov sits above them.
Player Season(s) GP G/60 (5v5) A1/60 (5v5) Points/60 (5v5) Matvei Michkov 2024-25 80 0.88 0.82 2.34 Wyatt Johnston 2023-25 164 1.1 0.86 2.32 Matt Boldy 2023-25 157 0.84 0.73 2.04 Seth Jarvis 2023-25 154 0.81 0.75 2.03 Lucas Raymond 2023-25 164 0.88 0.75 2.02 Tim Stutzle 2023-25 157 0.65 0.65 1.99 Leo Carlsson 2023-25 131 0.69 0.35 1.48
This might be pulling hairs slightly, but just look at that. Michkov has a higher production rate at 5-on-5 than the six other forwards who could be considered his peers. Sure, someone like Wyatt Johnston has averaged more goals and primary assists, but Michkov comes out on top overall.
Yes, some of these players are centers so they could get a leg up. And yes, some players like Seth Jarvis and Matt Boldy are known to be very good defensively and that’s an important part of their evaluation and projection, but come on. To think a center like Leo Carlsson who just managed to scrape by this past season with 20 goals and 45 points, should be considered a significantly better player than Michkov five years from now, is a little crazy.
And we’re not even talking about defensemen yet. Zeev Buium has barely smelled what an NHL arena smells like but he’s suddenly on this list. Owen Power is even worse defensively than Michkov (a winger, by the way). And Moritz Seider can play a lot of minutes against top competition, but what else? They Detroit Red Wings keep losing during his minutes.
Maybe it’s just us being insane homers that watch Michkov do insane things on the ice every game and want him to be recognized for his talents — but also the production is the production. Add in a successful power play and the fact that even throughout last season the winger was becoming more defensively responsible, and it should spell out into Michkov being a dominant force by the time 2030 rolls around.
When Michkov wins his third Art Ross Trophy and his second Hart, as the Flyers make the Eastern Conference Final for the fourth time in a row; maybe then he’ll get some consideration as a top 30 player in the NHL.
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