Kevin Kurz just passed along Flyers general manager Danny Briere's comments on the relationship between Matvei Michkov and Rick Tocchet.
The timing matters. Philadelphia is in Edmonton tonight, and the trade chatter around its leading goal scorer has been loud all day.
Kurz posted that Briere was asked about the bond between the young winger and his head coach, plus his evaluation of the coaching staff. The GM did not sound alarmed.
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According to the post, Briere said: "As far as I know, I don't think there's a problem there." He then pointed to the work Tocchet has put in, noting that the coach came back in the second half last year and was able to tweak the team's approach. The post cuts off there, so the rest of his answer is unknown.
Briere's message is clear enough: the front office is backing its coach. What he did not do, at least in the part we can see, is shut the door on a trade.
Earlier today, we reported that Michkov answered a direct question about being happy in Philadelphia, with Tocchet also addressing the chatter, according to Ryan Rishaug.
Does Briere's backing of Tocchet change the Michkov trade talk?
Not by itself. Kevin Weekes reported that the 21-year-old would prefer a fresh start elsewhere, and a GM saying there is no problem is exactly what a GM says when he wants to protect his coach and his leverage.
The numbers explain why this keeps coming up. Michkov has 10 goals in 20 games this season, tops on the Flyers, and 5 of them have come on the power play. Yet he is a -11.
That minus rating is a team problem as much as a personal one. Philadelphia is 5-10-5, sits 27th in the NHL and has been outscored 66-45.
We also looked at the numbers behind Michkov's minutes under Tocchet last Saturday, when fans were already asking why his ice time stays low for a goal leader.
The Flyers did win their last game, 3-1 in Vancouver on Monday. A win in Edmonton tonight would not settle the question, but it would quiet the room for a day.
My take: Briere cannot keep calling this a non-issue if Michkov keeps scoring while sitting on the bench. A 21-year-old with 10 goals and a seventh overall pick pedigree is not a player you let stew into a contract year, and the entry-level deal is up at season's end.
Puck drops tonight in Edmonton, and every Michkov shift will be watched closely.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
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