Flyers News & Rumors: Tocchet’s Immaturity, Murchison, & More

Tocchet made his thoughts clear early on. He wasn’t happy with Michkov’s summer, who had a minor setback in training. As far back as Oct. 15, though, the young Russian said that this isn’t the reason for his regression.

Regardless, Tocchet has gone out of his way to mention Michkov’s “shape” at every turn. After arguably dissing the youngster on his birthday about the whole ordeal without mentioning him by name, he was explicit in an interview with NHL Network.

The Flyers’ bench boss was asked about several players, but the only one he criticized right after the question was, of course, No. 39. “This summer, I think he did a couple of things where I think his training was a little bit different, and he came in a little out of shape.”

Keep in mind, this was a layup of a question. Retired NHL forward Pat Maroon raved about Michkov for a good 20 seconds before letting Tocchet speak, comparing him to Kirill Kaprizov.

It’s mid-December. At some point, Tocchet needs to realize what’s done is done—Michkov can’t change the past. Plus, the numbers don’t even back up what he’s saying. You can’t exactly be “out of shape” and also your team’s best offensive creator.

Michkov, ironically, has been the mature one about this. No fuss, no complaining, just doing the best he can. But Tocchet keeps instigating. This ordeal keeps getting uglier, and it’s being orchestrated by the 61-year-old.

Murchison Is Holding His Own in the NHL

With injuries on the back end, the Flyers had to call up Murchison, a 22-year-old defensive prospect, from the American Hockey League (AHL) to fill in. So far, he’s passed the eye test, and Natural Stat Trick‘s data backs it up. At 5-on-5, he has a 56.66% expected goal share and outscored opponents 2–1.

Unfortunately, this is more than likely a short-term thing. When Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York return from injury, the 2021 fifth-round pick will probably be demoted back to the AHL. Still, this has been a good experiment. The Flyers have some solid reinforcements in the minor leagues, should they need them.

As for Murchison, he may be able to carve out a role as a bottom-pairing defender. This is his first full season as a pro player, so being able to hang in the NHL—even if for just three games—is a very positive sign. He has time to perfect his craft.

The 2026 World Junior Championship Is Close

The 2026 World Junior Championship is less than two weeks away. The Flyers should have plenty of prospects participating, assuming they make the final cut. If you’re curious, I already did a breakdown here.

Though final cuts haven’t yet been made, Jack Berglund, Jett Luchanko, Porter Martone, Heikki Ruohonen, Shane Vansaghi, and Max Westergård—all forwards—are poised to represent their nations.

The headliner here is Martone, who has been stapled to Hockey Canada’s top line in training camp. Fans will be familiar with Berglund, Luchanko, and Ruohonen, as this isn’t their first rodeo (although Berglund got hurt in Team Sweden’s camp last year).

Vansaghi and Westergård, 2025 draftees, are worth keeping an eye on. Both are hardworking wingers with some scoring touch, playing for Team USA and Team Finland, respectively.

Nothing’s easy in a conference where nobody wants to let up, but the Flyers’ playoff hopes look promising. They’ll have to keep their foot on the gas pedal, especially with a series of road games ahead—eight of their last nine games in December are away from Xfinity Mobile Arena.