Flyers Matvei Michkov will have John Tortorella seeing red
Photo credit: Fox News
The GM of the Philadelphia Flyers believes that Matvei Michkov and head coach John Tortorella are going to butt heads at some point this season.
The Philadelphia Flyers can't wait any longer to get their top prospect, Matvei Michkov, in the lineup after a rough season. In July, Michkov finally signed with the Flyers, getting his entry-level contract once he was released from the KHL's Sochi HC.
The fact that there is much hype among NHL followers, who consider him a breath of fresh air for the Flyers to get them back onto a competitive path, is something on which general manager Daniel Briere pretty quickly doused cold water on regarding Michkov's rookie campaign.
«It's gonna be a tough season for him. This is the best league in the world. It's a big step. It's not going to be easy. So my expectations are actually pretty low,» the GM said.
What really caught everyone's attention during Briere's recent press conference wasn't the tempered expectations for Michkov. It was his comments about Michkov working with head coach John Tortorella, known to be hard on younger players and bench them regularly. Briere rather candidly admitted that he does expect some tension between the two.
«There's going to be some fireworks. But he's going to teach him to be a pro. He's going to teach him to be the best player he can be,» said Briere
Even though Briere is downplaying Michkov's first-year impact, he and the fans know that the talent's there because Michkov racked up 19 goals and 41 points in 47 games last season in the KHL.
Of course, the real question is how he'll handle John Tortorella's intense style as he adjusts to life in the NHL.
Source: Hockey Feed «Fireworks» between John Tortorella and Matvei Michkov
Source: NHL.com Matvei Michkov Stats
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