Matvei Michkov's likely healthy scratch simply reflects Rick Tocchet's coaching philosophy

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So when Tocchet says “that crest is everything” — something he’s repeated a few times since taking over as head coach — it’s not hyperbole. It’s all he’s known in more than four decades in the league, no matter which team he’s representing. It’s also why so many of his players come to love and respect him. So any conversation about his complicated relationship with second-year forward Matvei Michkov has to begin there. Rightly or wrongly, when Tocchet arrived in Philadelphia, he didn’t view Michkov through the lens of being a No. 6 pick, any more than he viewed prospect Alex Bump — who it appears will take a healthy Michkov’s place in the lineup on Monday for Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins — as being a fifth-round selection. Tocchet is looking for players who fit into the team dynamic, particularly now in the playoffs. The kind of players they are now supersedes what kind of players they could become in the future when you’re trying to close out a playoff series against a team led by legends. The Flyers’ biggest challenge with Michkov, and something that has been mentioned to me by multiple team sources, is getting him to understand that the logo comes first and individual achievements are secondary. It’s been a process, and it’s ongoing. To be clear, no one blames Michkov for it, as he was brought up in an entirely different culture than most players in North America and Europe. The Flyers always knew this was going to take some time. Contrary to some of the loud online discourse, Tocchet has done an admirable job integrating Michkov into that team dynamic despite the trying circumstances — which included, of course, Michkov not being prepared at the start of the season physically. It’s not been easy for Tocchet to get Michkov up to speed, leading to some speed bumps along the way. About a month into the season, Tocchet moved Michkov to the left wing because, as he said at the time, it requires less skating in his system. Probably another way to put it is that Tocchet was trying to mitigate Michkov’s lack of pace and penchant for turning the puck over. It was likely difficult for him to find players who wanted to play with Michkov, too — perhaps contributing to Michkov being a bit isolated from the others. “Early this season, (he was) not a loner, but he was alone a lot,” Tocchet said on April 16. There’s been progress. That was on full display after the Olympic break as a better-conditioned Michkov led the Flyers in scoring until the end of the season, and especially after Tocchet moved Michkov back to the right wing on March 7. The coach probably recognized it was vital to try and get Michkov some confidence headed into what they all still probably figured at the time was going to be an early offseason. And there were steps taken off the ice, too. Tocchet said that Michkov was enjoying being around peers like Bump, Denver Barkey and Porter Martone. That integration is vital to what Tocchet, Danny Briere and Keith Jones are trying to build. It’s a big part of the reason they are where they are now, too. You only have to watch the clip of five players cheering wildly in the penalty box as a celebrating Trevor Zegras pounds on the glass in Game 3 to be reminded that all of this culture stuff has merit. It’s probably why Tocchet was an attractive candidate for Briere and Jones for their coaching vacancy in the first place. That’s just who Tocchet is. The late regular-season developments still provide hope that Michkov, despite his struggles against the Penguins, is still trending in the right direction. And now that he knows how difficult the league can be — particularly in the playoffs — he’ll prepare adequately over the summer and be ready to take a giant leap forward in 2026-27. But there’s nowhere for Tocchet to hide Michkov now. The 21-year-old has been overwhelmed against the Penguins. He’s the only player other than Tyson Foerster to skate in all four games without recording a point. And there is no way that Tocchet is going to remove Foerster, who gives the Flyers some needed size, a powerful shot and an ability to kill penalties. Michkov doesn’t bring any of that at the moment, and has been a liability because he hasn’t been making up offensively for his defensive miscues or undisciplined penalties, of which there have been a few. When Tocchet suggested after Game 4 on Saturday, a 4-2 Flyers loss, that he was pondering some lineup changes, attention immediately turned to Michkov. He’s been the clear-cut least effective forward on the Flyers so far. There’s more. In order for the Flyers to close out the Penguins, they’re going to have to do it at five-on-five. They all know that. Even in their Game 4 loss, the Flyers had a pair of five-on-five goals to the Penguins’ one, and they’re outscoring them 8-2 overall. Keep that up, and this series probably ends on Monday. At five-on-five, Michkov has three shots on goal in 31 minutes. His 31.0 percent shot attempt share is 18th on the team, with linemate Barkey only a little better (31.7 percent) and his center, Noah Cates, slightly worse (30.7 percent). That line hasn’t worked from Game 1 on. But Tocchet’s late Game 4 changes seemed to provide a spark — including moving Barkey up to the Zegras line, where he scored a second-period goal to make it 2-1. Cates and Foerster, reunited in the second period, already have well-established chemistry after spending nearly all of last season together and the first part of this one before Foerster’s injury on Dec. 1 cost him four months. And Bump’s early success can’t be overlooked here, either. In his first 17 career NHL games after he was recalled on March 6, Bump posted five goals and four assists for nine points — eight of which came at five-on-five. Bump helped the Flyers clinch a playoff spot. He deserves a chance to play and contribute to the team at an important moment. Right now, there’s a better chance he’s able to do that than Michkov. Ultimately, that’s all that really matters to Tocchet. Don’t expect it to change. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms