PHILADELPHIA (AP) — His surname flashed on ice in bold — MICHKOV — as Philadelphia Flyers’ fans roared and flames burst upward as part of the pregame pageantry the moment Matvei Michkov was introduced at the home opener.
Considered the most no-doubt-about-it Flyers’ prospect since Eric Lindros and perhaps the most sensational rookie out of Russia since Alexander Ovechkin and and Evgeni Malkin in 2005, Michkov was set to give Flyers fans a glimpse of what all the buzz was about since he was drafted in 2023.
Lindros. Ovechkin. Malkin. Those are big skates to fill — and a fast first week of production only heightened the hype to the opener…