Tortorella Makes Stunning Move With Matvei Michkov

After a start that was pretty much as advertised, it appeared that Russian star Matvei Michkov was fitting in quite nicely with the Philadelphia Flyers for the first several games. But never underestimate the workings of head coach John Tortorella. He has decided to make Michkov a healthy scratch for their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night.

Matvei Michkov gets his first scratch of his NHL career tonight.

"Just part of the process," Tortorella said a number of times. "We're trying to help him."
— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) November 7, 2024

"Just part of the process," Tortorella said, per beat writer Charlie O'Connor. "We're trying to help him."

Fellow Flyers reporter Anthony SanFilippo went one step further, saying the move was bound to happen. "His play at 5-on-5 has not been good for a while," wrote San Filippo. "Torts actually showed some real patience waiting til Game 14, to be honest."

Michkov has four goals and 10 points in 13 games in his rookie season, but has a plus/minus rating of -8. His ice time has dwindled in recent outings, from his season-high of 21:33 just five games ago, he was down to just 13:57 in the last game. He has just one point in the last five contests.

In fact, Torts benched him for the last half of the third period in that last game on Tuesday, aside from a brief power play shift. O'Connor summed it up by saying of Torts, that's "just what he does."