Matvei Michkov Holds His First...

Matvei Michkov held his first press conference on Wednesday, after landing in the U.S. to join the Philadelphia Flyers as they gear up for the 2024-25 season. Michkov was joined by Flyers GM Danny Briere and Flyers consultant Slava Kuznetsov, who acted as Michkov's translator during the conference. The young Russian forward made it clear that he was just as excited to get to Philadelphia as fans were to have him, noting that he's always had a dream to play in the NHL...and now I'm here. As many people know, however, the process to get him here was a long and drawn-out one. Briere said that the organization had anticipated this, as that was the main reason he fell to the Flyers in the first place during the 2023 NHL Draft, but they jumped on the chance to bring him over the minute it presented itself. When we drafted him last year, we never thought this would happen, he said. "We started hearing rumblings after the season that there was a possibility of [bringing him over]. We talked to his representatives and agents to help us understand what was going on. It was definitely exciting when we realized there was a strong possibility of making it happen. it was definitely a long wait. Such intense anticipation has led to many fans calling Michkov the "savior" of the Flyers organization, hailing him as the single player that will propel the team to success. The hype has been consistently high, but Briere clarified that the Flyers don't view the 19-year-old in such a deified light. We don't see him as a savior," he stated. "That's not something we're putting on his shoulders. He's 19...we hope that the sky is the limit for him. We're not expecting him to be the savior of this team. We're building a team that has many pieces that work together. Michkov agreed, saying, The main idea was always to win. I'm here to help the team to win...just play my style and help the team win.