Flyers, Matvei Michkov Have Odds Stacked Against Them in 2024

Just about any day now, the Philadelphia Flyers will announce that Matvei Michkov signed his entry-level contract, thus solidifying his NHL status for the 2024-25 season.

And even though the Flyers are getting their star prospect early, the hopes aren’t necessarily high for them or Michkov this season. At least, according to NHL oddsmakers.

Once the news broke that Michkov was expected to terminate his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg, which he later did, a slew of sportsbooks came out with odds and totals for points in Michkov’s rookie season. That doesn’t appear to have had any bearing on the Flyers‘ odds to win the Metropolitan Division; those remain extremely poor.

FanDuel currently has Michkov’s total set at 46.5 points for the 2024-25 regular season, with -132 odds to exceed 46.5 points and +102 odds to fall below 46.5 points. So… yeah. At the moment, there’s not a ton of value to be had here unless you’re banking on Michkov taking some time to adjust to the NHL level.

On the other hand, there’s the Flyers, to whom FanDuel has designated the prestigious honor of having the third-lowest chance of winning the Metropolitan Division in the 2024-25 season. Those odds currently sit at +1300, marginally lower than the New York Islanders at +1200 and the Pittsburgh Penguins at +1100.

Even after their trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois, the Washington Capitals hover near the basement at +4700. And then there’s the Columbus Blue Jackets… they’re the Blue Jackets, so they have +15000 odds to win the Metro. Only the Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks (also +15000) have such terrible odds of winning their respective divisions.

On aggregate, the Flyers are expected to be about the same or slightly worse than they were last season, which is a little surprising given the reinforcements they’ll get with Michkov. I suppose that’s also to compensate for losing half a season’s worth of Carter Hart in net, who will be replaced by newcomer Ivan Fedotov.

This certainly makes for a fascinating season, in any case. I only ask that you gamble responsibly and legally.