Elliotte Friedman Reveals Shock Reason Why Matvei Michkov Was Benched By The Philadelphia Flyers

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Tom Banks
November 16, 2024 (10:06)

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The Philadelphia Flyers seemingly have a star on their hands in Matvei Michkov, and now a top NHL Insider reveals why they shockingly decided to bench him recently.

Through the first few months of the season, the Philadelphia Flyers have struggled as a team, but the one bright spot has been a breakout season from rookie Matvei Michkov.

In his first 15 games, the 19-year old Russian star has posted 7 goals and 13 points, and while it's a tight Calder Trophy race thus far, it's safe to say that he's right at the top of it.

However, he was recently benched by Head Coach John Tortorella, raising questions about why exactly that happened, and while most assumed it was the doing of the Head Coach for no reason, we may now know why exactly it happened.

That was revealed by Insider Elliotte Friedman on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast, as he noted it was an exchange on the bench during a recent game that led to the decision from the Flyers organization.

Michkov's brief removal apparently had something to do with an exchange on the bench the Flyers wished to address. It wasn't anything enormous or concerning, more like a «let's deal with it now and move on» teaching moment.

This followed Friedman noting how competitive Michkov is, telling a story that reveals just how true that statement is.

He was so mad at losing at table tennis to one of Philadelphia's other Russians that he refused to talk to whoever it was for a day or so. He's super-competitive and wants to do the right things, so you wait to see how a young player handles being sat - and more importantly, how his teammates react

Since Michkov's return, he has been fantastic, proving that a week's rest can definitely be good for a talented rookie, as he marked that return with an OT winner against the Ottawa Senators.

It's unclear what the plan is moving forward for Michkov and if he has another benching in his future, but for now, things are going very well for the star rookie as he continues an incredible Calder campaign.