Matvei Michkov and the Philadelphia Flyers have a real deadline forming, and it has nothing to do with games on the ice.
Starting September 16, new contract extensions around the league max out at seven years instead of eight under the current CBA.
That gives Philadelphia roughly 3 weeks to lock Michkov into the longest deal still available before that window closes for good.
The Flyers already made this move once, signing Tyson Foerster to an eight-year extension worth $3,750,000 annually earlier this offseason.
Only Rasmus Ristolainen, Simon Benoit, and Michkov remain eligible for extensions right now, and the physical veteran defensemen aren't the urgent case here.
Michkov posted 51 points last season, 20 goals and 31 assists in 81 games, a step back from his 63-point rookie year but still respectable given the circumstances.
He's still on his $950,000 entry-level deal, and he spent this summer working to improve his conditioning after real criticism, including from head coach Rick Tocchet.
Why Montreal's Ivan Demidov sets the real price tag here
Montreal already set the market. Ivan Demidov signed an eight-year, $9,150,000 annual extension on July 1 after a 62-point rookie season.
Michkov's rookie season actually outproduced Demidov's, even if last year's sophomore dip complicates the direct comparison a little.
Waiting means Michkov could play his way into an even bigger number, but it also costs Philadelphia one full year of team control under the new CBA rules.
Is a Demidov-range deal a fair price for a player with this kind of ceiling? If Michkov gets anywhere close to his potential, it's a steal.
Locking him up also clarifies exactly how much cap room Philadelphia has left to chase another aggressive move, the way it did with the Leo Carlsson offer sheet.
Porter Martone isn't extension-eligible until next July, so Michkov is genuinely the only pressing piece of business standing between now and the deadline.
Fortune favors the bold, and Philadelphia has about 3 weeks left to decide just how bold it's actually willing to be.
Should the Flyers rush an 8-year extension for Matvei Michkov?
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