Report: Matvei Michkov to Terminate KHL Contract, Join Flyers

On the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Flyers winning the Stanley Cup for the first time, it has been reported that No. 1 prospect Matvei Michkov is expected to terminate his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg and leave to continue his career with the Flyers.

Sport-Express has reported, “According to SE, SKA striker Matvey Michkov will continue his career in Philadelphia. The contract with the St. Petersburg club until 2026 will be terminated. The rights to the hockey player in the KHL will remain with the team.”

The Flyers are aware of the report and are unable to confirm it at this time.

Michkov, 19, was selected with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft after scoring nine goals and 20 points in 27 games with HK Sochi in 2022-23. Michkov, of course, was on loan to Sochi from SKA, his parent club.

From the outside looking in, Michkov’s relationship with SKA head coach and Russian Ice Hockey Federation president Roman Rotenberg has been tenuous at best. Rotenberg frequently excluded Michkov from his matchday squads with SKA or gave him very little ice time, and recently left the Flyers draftee out of the Russian national U25 team.

Fellow Flyers draft pick Egor Zavragin, who is only 18 years old and has no KHL experience, was selected by Rotenberg.

If Michkov does come over to North America and join the Flyers early, he’ll be the third KHL standout to do so in the last few months. Ivan Fedotov executed his shock switch to the NHL at the end of March and subsequently signed a two-year, $6.55 million extension. Alexei Kolosov, who signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers last summer, briefly played for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the AHL level, appearing in two games for the baby Flyers.

Michkov’s original contract is supposed to tie him down to the KHL until 2026.