Matvei Michkov left out again: could lead to a loan

Matvei Michkov’s every move will be analyzed and scrutinized for a very long time to come.

The Russian prodigy’s performances and actions will be the talk of the field hockey world for the rest of his career, as he is a polarizing player for both good and bad reasons.

Considered the second-best player in the recent draft (not far behind Connor Bedard), the fact that he was only drafted 7th has caused quite a stir, especially in Montreal, as we all know.

But it wasn’t just Montreal that skipped its turn for Michkov.

Four other teams did: Anaheim, Columbus, San Jose and Arizona.

Why did they do it?

Well, largely because of the risk involved in selecting Michkov.

The Russian factor scared a lot of people, and his potential attitude and behavior problems don’t help.

But worst of all is the fact that the team selecting him has no control over the young KHL player’s development.

We’re seeing this right now, as Mishkov was left out of a preparatory game.

Worse still, today we learn that for the first game of the CKA St-Petersburg season in the KHL, Michkov is left out.

This could lead to Michkov’s departure on loan to another KHL team.

Indeed, St. Petersburg CKA could decide to loan Michkov to another team as they did last season when they loaned him to Sochi, where Michkov did very well with 20 points, including nine goals, in 27 games.

It would be really beneficial for Mishkov to be sent to a lesser team where he can play more and be one of his team’s best players.

Because right now, things aren’t looking too good in St. Petersburg, where Mishkov hasn’t even started the season in the line-up.

Is the youngster being punished by his club for his behavior, or does the club simply consider that he’s not good enough to be part of the team’s regular line-up?

We don’t know.

The CKA line-up is correct on paper for this first game of the season, with CH alumnus Alex Galchenyuk at the center of the first trio.

It says a lot about the team’s talent when Chucky is your first center.

We also note that Ivan Demidov, the Russian prodigy of the next NHL draft, is inserted on the fourth trio.

So, Demidov was preferred to Mishkov, even though he’s younger.

The Russian, eligible for the 2024 draft, had a very good preseason in the KHL, and is considered by some to be a better player than Mishkov.

In short, what’s certain is that if Michkov is left out for several games in a row, it will start to look alarming for the youngster’s development.

What can the Philadelphia Flyers and Daniel Brière do?

Absolutely nothing.

No matter how hard they try to get the CKA management and coach to play Mishkov, it won’t make any difference.

The CKA is likely to laugh in Brière’s and the Flyers’ faces.

So, we can see right now that having no control over the development of one of your top prospects is really not ideal.

CH fans would be panicking right now if Michkov had been the choice of Kent Hughes and his team.

En Rafale

– Samuel Piette will wear the Club’s 30th anniversary captain’s armband tonight.

– Really great.

– To be continued in Edmonton.

– Can Zadina launch his career in San Jose?

– A truly beautiful moment.