Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov knew he had to get in shape heading into his third NHL season.
Michkov is coming off a 20-goal, 51-point season in 2025-26, which was a drop-off in production from his rookie year, when he led all first-year players in goals (26) and tied for second in points (63).
Last season, he was one of the Flyers’ better players in the stretch drive to secure a playoff spot, scoring seven goals with 22 points in 26 games following Milano Cortina 2026 but had just one assist in eight postseason games as Philadelphia fell in the second round.
Michkov told a Russian reporter last month that he dropped 30 pounds in preparation for this season.
“I actually look good,” Michkov told NHL.com Thursday. “Good summer. ... I feel really good right now. I think I’m ready for season.”
Michkov’s conditioning level caught the ire of head coach Rick Tocchet, who openly criticized the 21-year-old before the trade deadline last season before general manager Daniel Briere stepped in to give Michkov a vote of confidence.
Tocchet told The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz earlier this month he regrets the comments he made towards Michkov and is ready for a fresh start with him.
“I think it’s a learning lesson for both of us,” Tocchet explained. “I think the relationship has been overblown, and I think he’s talked about it. In saying that, in February, I was frustrated. I should have probably kept the remarks about him being out of shape — I had already said it four times; I don’t think I needed to say it a fifth time. As any coach, you learn a lesson. So, I would take that back.”
Michkov admits it was hard adjusting his habits, including cutting out sugar.
“I think in the summer all guys relax but you need to work,” Michkov said. “This is a little bit hard for me. ... I eat right now just good food, no fast food, no sugar. Maybe a little bit on day off; I like chocolate but just on day off. This is hard work too. This is hard work not just on the ice but on life too, total. This is new for me. New eating, but good. I want to play better for the team, for the Flyers.”
On the ice, Michkov said working on his shot, specifically his one-timer, was a big focus. The Flyers as a team averaged 2.93 goals a game last season and did not have an individual score more than Owen Tippett’s 28.
“I have to practice and work on my hands, one-timers,” Michkov said. “But I think that’s a little bit my problem. I need to shoot harder on one-timers. This is a good way to score for me. ... We talk together with ‘Tocc,’ ‘Tocc’ told me I need to work on one-timers and I worked on one-timers all summer and I think now I’m feeling better.”
The Flyers attempted in the off-season to improve their team by signing Ducks centre Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet but Anaheim opted to match it.
Instead, the Flyers will be relying on internal growth as they look to make the playoffs for the second year in a row. As part of his off-season regime, Michkov said he had Flyers performance development coach Lorne Goldenberg visit him in Russia for two weeks.
Briere says he can see the difference already in the 2023 seventh-overall pick.
“He decided to, even though he didn’t have a lot of time, he completely changed what he was thinking of doing, just going on vacation and having fun,” Briere said. “He decided to take care of himself, and it showed in the last stretch of the season, which I think mentally was a good thing for him to see, ‘Hey, I took care of myself. Look at the impact I was able to have.’
“I think he went with that mentality into the off-season, with instead of 10 days to do it, having three or four months, and then that’s kind of what you see in how he looks at the moment, and how he just walks around with a different swagger than he had probably two years ago.”
