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“Fire Tocchet. Save Michkov.”: A sign that’s causing a stir in Philadelphia
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
“Fire Tocchet. Save Michkov.”: A sign that’s causing a stir in Philadelphia
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

Ahh, Matvei Michkov…

The Flyers may tell us they don't understand how the rumors about Matvei Michkov became public, but let's just say everyone has their own take on the matter.

That's because the guy is problematic.

The Flyers may be giving him 20 minutes of ice time per game (which is what happened in the game following the rumor about his potential desire to leave), but it's clear they're in damage control mode.

As Pierre LeBrun says, there's something behind all of this.

Everyone can see that there's constant friction between Michkov and his teammates. He must not feel appreciated, and he must be telling himself that things would be different elsewhere. As if he weren't the problem…

Kevin Weekes had the same agent as Michkov, and he probably didn't start the rumor by accident.

All of this is to say that Philadelphia fans, who have already lost the talented Cutter Gauthier, know full well that they're at risk of losing Matvei Michkov.

And this is true even though the team says it doesn't want to trade him.

Many of them have identified coach Rick Tocchet as the root of the problem. And one fan even made a sign calling for the coach's head, in order to save the Russian player.

Can you believe it?

We can all agree that if it didn't work out with John Tortorella and it isn't working out with Rick Tocchet, the common denominator is Michkov, a young player who's just starting his third year in the league.

Changing coaches wouldn't change anything. Not in the long run, anyway.

In a Nutshell

– Hehe.

– Talk about a locker room issue.

– Speaking of another locker room issue.