Insider Projects Matvei Michkov's Next Contract AAV

It was a tough sophomore season for Matvei Michkov with the Philadelphia Flyers. So much so, that some around town were even suggesting a trade could be in order, until GM Danny Briere shut down the talk shortly after their season ended. 

But if the 21-year-old Russian is sticking around after his entry-level contract expires at the end of next season, what could it cost the Flyers? 

That's the question that was asked of Flyers insider Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff. 

After an electrifying 26-goal, 63-point rookie season two years ago, Michkov dropped to 20 goals and just 51 points in his second year, while his average time on ice was slashed by almost two minutes a night under new head coach Rick Tocchet. 

But what if he bounces back to his rookie trajectory, and posts, say, 70 points in the 2026-27 season? 

This will be very interesting in how it all plays out. Historically, Flyers GM Danny Briere has elected to go the bridge-contract route with players coming off their ELCs. 

Matvei Michkov is a special case, mind you, as he has a major pedigree and does have a higher offensive ceiling than arguably any other player on the Flyers’ roster. 

If Michkov does surpass the 70-point benchmark, he could still get an AAV that pushes close to $10 million, even on a shorter term deal.

That would immediately put Michkov at the top of the Flyers' pay scale, surpassing the $9.125M AAV that Trevor Zegras signed for this past month. 

Will Michkov settle for a bridge deal after this coming season?

Di Marco points to recent bridge deals with the likes of Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett as reasons for his belief that Briere would likely prefer to go shorter-term with Michkov on his next contract. 

For more context, both Zegras and fellow RFA Jamie Drysdale received four-year terms on extensions signed this month. 

How Michkov performs in the coming year will be one of the most interesting developments to watch. And his future earnings could depend on it.