Yeah, sure, some guys sashay into the NHL as teenagers and immediately start skating around like they own the place. Gretzky, Ovechkin, Crosby, Lemieux, Hawerchuk, Orr, Murphy, Barrasso. Freaks, every last one of them.
Hello there, Matvei Michkov. After taking time away from hockey during the 4 Nations Face-Off — “I needed the pause, especially for the head,” he said through a team translator last Saturday — Michkov has looked rejuvenated and refreshed on and off the ice since the NHL season restarted Feb.
The Flyers continue to roll in their return from the 4 Nations break, but one last wave of trade deadline rumors does hang over the heads of Scott Laughton and the rest of the team.
PHILADELPHIA — Why, yes, the suggestion that Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov, who struggled for weeks going into the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, was gassed from the grind two-thirds of the way through his first NHL season has merit.
Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier each had a goal and two assists, Owen Tippett scored a pair of goals and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-3.