It is well known that a rookie player making his debut in the National Hockey League (NHL) often goes through difficult times during his first season. Very few manage to maintain a constant level of performance from the start of their adventure on the Bettman circuit.
Matvei Michkov, despite his immense talent, does not escape this trend. Between October 11 and December 10, the Russian was flamboyant on the Pennsylvania side. In his first 27 games, he scored 27 points, distinguishing himself among NHL rookies and taking a significant lead over his competitors for the Calder Trophy. However, since then the 20-year-old winger has struggled.
In 11 outings since mid-December, he has only been able to put his name on the scoresheet twice, and that, during a single clash, against the Los Angeles Kings on December 29. Otherwise, he was shut out ten times and saw his playing time reduced significantly, from 17:03 to 15:13. Worse still, he was benched on a few occasions by John Tortorella, visibly dissatisfied with his production and his involvement.
Sunday, during his 11th match since December 10, Michkov was once again silent. However, even without scoring points, he attempted a creative touch with a lifted pass from behind the net.
His recent poor form means that the race for the Calder Trophy is getting tighter and tighter, and although number 39 still holds the top spot among rookies this season, he could quickly be overtaken by Macklin Celebrini or Lane Hutson. The former has only one point less, while the Montreal Canadiens defenseman is only two behind.
The drop in production of the former member of the Continental Hockey League (KHL) seems linked to the bad luck of the Philadelphia Flyers, who are going through a difficult period. Since December 14, the team has won only three of its ten matches, which has not facilitated the development of its young talent.
