November 11, 2026
Eric Hartline/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The past 24 hours haven't been nothing for Matvei Michkov and the Flyers, but they're trying to shrug it off for now.
Matvei Michkov cracked a smile and replied "yeah" to the question of whether he was still happy in Philly.
And he shrugged off Monday night in Vancouver, when, despite a 3-1 Flyers win, an argument between him and veteran teammate Nick Seeler during a second-period stoppage stole most of the spotlight among fans watching from back home.
Seeler did the same, so did captain Sean Couturier, and head coach Rick Tocchet, while all downplayed or plead ignorance to the report Tuesday from ESPN's Kevin Weekes that Michkov developed a preference for a "fresh start" away from Philadelphia, keeping in mind that the 21-year-old does have restricted free agency on the horizon.
"I'm not worried on news," Michkov said after the Flyers' morning skate Wednesday in Edmonton. "I no talk in interview. I need concentration just on tonight's game, and yeah, that's all."
"There's nothing to talk about if it's not true," Tocchet said. "So there's nothing to report."
"I mean, it's outside noise," added Couturier. "We don't control what's being said in the media. You know, since I've been here, if I had listened to every rumor that's out there, I'd probably been traded 20 times."
And maybe it is.
But then again, outside noise alone doesn't compel general manager Danny Brière and team governor Dan Hilferty to book the next flight out to Edmonton to join president Keith Jones and the rest of the team on the road, as caught by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jackie Spiegel.
The past 24 hours aren't nothing, and definitely don't exist in isolation.
But for now, Michkov and the Flyers aren't doing or saying anything beyond business as usual, at least not until Brière speaks to the media over a Zoom call within the next couple of hours.
Other than that, the Flyers play Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers later Wednesday night, even if that's the least of what has fans' attention, or concern, right now.
And as for the Michkov-Seeler spat from Monday night, no one is saying it's anything other than what happens in hockey, even if it doesn't seem that way to the outside.
"This is emotional game," Michkov said. "Everybody want to win, and Seels' emotional guy, me too. All guys hungry for wins....This so emotional, but for me, this is good. When all guys have [emotion], everybody want to win."
"I mean, that happens when teams are playing well, too," Seeler said from his perspective. "I mean, [Michkov is] a competitive guy. He brings a lot of passion. We have no issue with it. It's good to show that you care. He's one of the guys that, obviously, he's had a really good year and he cares.
"It really wasn't a big deal at all until the media got a hold of it. I mean, we spoke after the period and it was done with. But then all of a sudden, after the game, it was this big deal when it really wasn't. That's kind of the day and age we live in."
Seeler went on to say that he hadn't spoken with Michkov after Weekes' report caught fire on Tuesday and that he wouldn't comment on it.
Couturier said he hasn't talked about it either.
After Weekes posted his report, fellow ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan and several other Flyers beats followed up with the additional details that Michkov did not submit any kind of trade request to the Flyers, and that the organization had no awareness of Michkov having any discontent until the social media shoe dropped late Tuesday.
"Listen, we're here to win some hockey games and focus on our group," Couturier said. "That's all I can really say."
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