Report: GM Briere says Flyers have ‘no plan’ to trade Matvei Michkov

Shockwaves were sent through the hockey universe on Tuesday afternoon when ESPN NHL insider Kevin Weekes reported that Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov would be interested in “a new start” in the form of a trade to another team.

Subsequent reports from multiple insiders, including ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, indicated that if Michkov did indeed want a trade, his camp had not lodged that request directly with the Flyers’ management staff.

Now, according to Sportsnet NHL insider Frank Seravalli, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere has no plans to trade Michkov to another team.

“This is all news to me… We’ve never discussed that.” Briere told Seravalli. “He’s got so much ahead of him that we’re all really excited about. He’s going in the right direction and it’s exciting to see what he can do already.”

Michkov, who is in the final season of his entry-level contract after making the jump to North America beginning in the 2024-25 season, drew the ire of head coach Rick Tocchet last season for showing up to training camp in less than ideal shape. His conditioning was called into question by Tocchet, who scaled back his role from 16:41 of average time on ice as a rookie to 14:50 last season.

A dip from 63 points down to 51 ensued, but Michkov has bounced back this season both in terms of ice time (15:54 average time on ice) and production (team-high 10 goals, tied for team-high 14 points) in 20 games.

Michkov’s individual success this season has not resulted in any sort of team success, as the Flyers currently have the worst record in the Eastern Conference by points percentage at 5-10-5.

Michkov has been visibly frustrated at times this year, most notably during an altercation with defenseman Nick Seeler during a 3-1 win in Vancouver on Monday night.