Matvei Michkov and the Flyers visit the Oilers tonight, and Kevin Weekes reported that the 21-year-old would prefer a fresh start elsewhere.
Weekes pointed to the Flyers' difficult start and "some internal discord," citing multiple league sources. Emily Kaplan followed by reporting that Michkov has not formally requested a trade.
That distinction matters. There is no request on the table, but the preference is out there, and every contender with cap room and a need for scoring is now paying attention.
Philadelphia sits 27th in the NHL at 5-10-5, and Michkov's season is a strange mix. He has 10 goals in 20 games, five of them on the power play, yet he is a -11 on a team with a -21 goal differential.
We looked at Michkov's minutes under Rick Tocchet on Saturday, and the question of his ice time hasn't gone away. A scorer who gets limited minutes and is unhappy about it is exactly the profile that gets a front office on the phone.
Edmonton is the team most often linked to that kind of call. The Oilers are 13-3-3, first in the Pacific, and the offense runs through Connor McDavid (48 points), Leon Draisaitl (18 goals) and Evan Bouchard (31 points).
Do the Oilers have the pieces to land Michkov?
Partly. Isaac Howard is the obvious name to build around, a 22-year-old first-rounder with 3 points in 13 games this season. He is listed on injured reserve with a knee injury, expected out until at least Nov. 17, and that complicates any package.
Philadelphia would want more than Howard anyway. A first-round pick would likely have to follow, and for a player drafted seventh overall in 2023, that is not an outrageous price.
The money works. Michkov is in the final year of an entry-level deal worth under $1 million, which leaves Stan Bowman room to keep shopping, and he becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
The fit is not perfect. Mike Babcock's push for a bigger, tougher forward group was reported by Frank Seravalli on Nov. 3, and Michkov is listed at 5'10 and 170 pounds.
But the Oilers get 15 points from Vasily Podkolzin and little else behind the stars, and Matthew Savoie is on injured reserve until at least Nov. 24. A proven goal scorer on a cheap deal is worth a call, and Bowman should make it before another team does.
Michkov takes the ice in Edmonton tonight, with Tocchet behind the Flyers' bench. The March 1 trade deadline is still a long way off, but the questions start now.
Quick hits
MINNESOTA WILD: Martin St-Louis thinks Quinn Hughes "sold" the late slashing call on Cole Caufield that helped the Wild beat Montreal on Tuesday night. The Canadiens coach clearly wasn't buying it.
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NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Juuse Saros blanked the Kings last night, one day after Pekka Rinne's Hall of Fame induction in Toronto. Hard to script a better tribute than a shutout.
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ST-LOUIS BLUES: Jim Montgomery was blunt about Dalibor Dvorsky after the Blues' 3-2 win over Detroit on Tuesday night. Dvorsky has been put on notice.
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OTTAWA SENATORS: Nick Cousins is the Senators' biggest question this morning. Travis Green said, "He's not doing great," after the Chychrun hit.
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TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: Beat writer Erik Erlendsson reports that 20-year-old Sam O'Reilly is set to make his NHL debut tonight in Buffalo. The Lightning are down their top center, so it's a big chance.
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This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Should the Oilers make a serious push for Matvei Michkov?
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