Flyers’ Matvei Michkov Sends Message To Head Coach Amid Limited Ice Time
The post took aim at the limited minutes for both Michkov and rookie Porter Martone. It also compared Michkov’s ice time with what the league’s other top goal scorers are getting.
The post pointed out that Michkov played 15:56 against the Rangers despite sitting among the NHL’s goal leaders, and it didn’t take long for fans to notice that his account had liked it.
There’s one caveat: Michkov wiped every post from his Instagram last month, and The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor confirmed Michkov said he’d deleted the app, so it’s possible someone in his camp hit the like, or, more likely, he had just redownloaded the app.
Either way, the like landed right in the middle of a debate that’s been building in Philadelphia for more than a year.
Are the Flyers holding younger players like Porter Martone & Matvei Michkov to unfair standards? #Flyers #LetsGoFlyers #NHL https://t.co/pXRkBIgQC0
— Snow The Goalie: A Flyers Podcast (@SnowTheGoalie) November 7, 2026
Michkov Leading Flyers Offense
Michkov has 10 goals this season, which leads the Flyers by a wide margin and is more than double the total of Trevor Zegras, the team’s next-best goal scorer.
He also has 13 points, second on the team, and his five power-play goals lead the club, so he’s been the most dangerous offensive player on a team that has struggled to score.
Despite all that, he’s averaging just 15:54 a night, which ranks sixth among Flyers forwards.
Matvei Michkov: "I feel so comfortable on the ice. I want to play more. I want 60 minutes. When team win, I'm so happy. Right now, no good situation, we last in the league. I want more playing time, I want more support. Hockey this is my life. I'm so emotional." #Flyers
— Jamey Baskow (@JameyBaskow) November 7, 2026
His ice time hasn’t come close to his rookie season since, either. He played 16:41 a night in 2024-25, when he led the Flyers with 26 goals, and that number dropped to 14:50 last season.
The rookie side of the post adds another layer, since Martone has been playing under 12 minutes a night while the Flyers continue to struggle.
Tocchet And Michkov Relationship Under Spotlight
Tocchet has never been shy about his reservations with Michkov, calling the young winger a “lightning rod” last season.
Last year, conditioning was the main issue during what many called a sophomore slump. This season, Tocchet’s biggest complaint has been Michkov staying out too long on his shifts.
There’s a fair coaching argument for holding a young player accountable. Still, cutting the minutes of your top goal scorer is a tough sell when the team in front of him is losing this much.
Matvei Michkov deleted/hid his instagram stories for sure, but frustration may be boiling over. Michkov should be playing 18 minutes a night at least, with how good he's been offensively this year, and he should be paired with Porter Martone
— Jamey Baskow (@JameyBaskow) November 6, 2026
Philadelphia is 4-10-4, has lost five of its last six games and is still looking for its first regulation win against a Metropolitan Division opponent at 0-4-4.
Thursday’s loss stung even more because the Flyers held a 2-1 lead deep into the third period before Pavel Dorofeyev tied it on a power play and Tye Kartye scored the winner with 4:39 left.
The Instagram wipe last month had already set off a week of trade speculation around Michkov. The 21-year-old’s account liking this post will only keep the spotlight on how Tocchet uses him.
The Flyers continue their five-game road trip with Michkov still sitting sixth among the team’s forwards in ice time.
