Matvei Michkov's future with the Flyers: why his meeting didn't settle anything

Kevin Kurz reports that Matvei Michkov confirmed after the Flyers' win in Columbus that he met with Danny Briere and Keith Jones.

The meetings were first reported by Elliotte Friedman. Kurz says he confirmed them with a team source, and now the player himself has put it on the record.

Kurz also made a point of clarifying who was and wasn't in the room.

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Dan Hilferty traveled with the team and was at the game in Columbus, Kurz noted, but he took no part in the meetings. Only Briere, the Flyers' general manager, and Jones were involved.

Michkov, 21, did his talking on the ice Saturday night, scoring in the 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets. He played 16:07 and finished a -1 with two shots on goal.

What was said behind closed doors hasn't been made public.

The timing matters, though. We told you Friedman's read on the Flyers changing course with Michkov on Friday, after his ice time against the Oilers on Wednesday. Rick Tocchet then said management sent no message about his minutes after practice in Columbus.

Now there is a confirmed sit-down at the top of the organization.

Does the Michkov meeting change the trade outlook?

Not according to David Pagnotta. He said he'd be surprised if anything happens before the March 1 trade deadline, even with teams calling, and we passed along Pagnotta's calming word on the Michkov talk on Saturday.

We agree with him. Michkov has 11 goals and 16 points in 22 games, with five of those goals on the power play. A team that scores goals like that doesn't shop him in November.

The Flyers' problems sit elsewhere. They are 6-10-6 and 27th in the league, with a goal differential of -21 and 72 goals against. Moving a 21-year-old scorer won't fix that.

Michkov's -12 is the number the coaching staff will keep staring at, and it's why his minutes will stay a topic every night he plays.

He gets his next test tonight, when the Flyers host the Oilers, and his ice time will be the first thing to check.

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.

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