Matvei Michkov has made a habit this autumn of saying things without saying anything. He emptied his Instagram account of every post last month, which set off a week of trade speculation. Now a user on Reddit has spotted what he has been liking on it.
The post in question was about ice time, and it did not flatter his head coach.
“15:56 ice time for Michkov, who is 6th in the league with goals this season,” it read.
Michkov liked it.
Matvei Michkov’s average ice time:
| 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| 16:41 | 14:50 | 15:53 |
How much ice time does Matvei Michkov get?
Six other forwards on the Philadelphia Flyers get more of it than he does, which is the figure that keeps this argument alive. Michkov sits seventh on his own team in average ice time while leading it in goals with 10 in 17 games, and his usage has been below his rookie year in each of the two seasons since.
The gap has produced some strange nights. He played 12:54 against Carolina last month, a figure that sat below several fourth-line forwards, and has spent chunks of this season behind names like Noel Acciari and Michael Bunting in the rotation.
Rick Tocchet has never hidden his reservations. He questioned Michkov’s conditioning publicly in February, saying the forward hadn’t arrived at camp in shape, and Michkov was dropped from the top lines in practice and came close to being scratched during last spring’s first-round series against Pittsburgh.
It hasn’t stopped him scoring. Michkov has 10 goals and 13 points through 17 games on a team that spent the opening fortnight of the season without a win.
Thursday night offered a fairly typical example of the dynamic. Michkov lost ice time during the second period against the Rangers after an extended shift in which he iced the puck, then returned for a power play with under two minutes left in the frame and started the third. Philadelphia lost 3-2.
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