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Matvei Michkov doesn’t like dump and chase: he finds it 'exhausting'

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 2:26 PM ET

Matvei Michkov is hard to follow because he’s full of contradictions.

Remember the time he said he didn’t want to do Michigan in the NHL… only to suddenly change his mind a few days later.

Is this the Trevor Zegras effect?

And now we have another example of how he likes to contradict himself. Good luck to his new coach (Rick Tocchet, who loves old-school hockey) with Michkov and Zegras…

The Russian likes to contradict himself because he keeps saying he wants to make the Flyers a playoff club, but he’s clearly not interested in doing what it takes to get there in the short term.

In an interview, Michkov said he didn’t like dump-and-chase, the action of pushing the puck deep into the opponent’s zone and fighting to get it back.

The Canadiens didn’t draft him for a reason, huh. #RedFlag

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The Flyers player says he prefers to keep the puck and possession of the disc to enter the opposing zone via a deke instead of going for it behind the opposing net.

He finds it “exhausting” to do. #PoorPetitPit

On the one hand, we agree that it’s not the most exciting hockey. But on the other, no one said he couldn’t keep the disc if he saw an opening on the ice.

But on a rink smaller than the dimensions in Russia, and with NHL defenses that are excellent, he often has no choice.

If he doesn’t, loses the disc and doesn’t fall back, his new coach won’t be happy. And rightly so, since good teams use dump and chase when necessary.

If the Panthers didn’t use it, they wouldn’t have two rings. And if Michkov doesn’t want to use it, he’ll have May and June off for years to come.