Flyers GM doubles down on commitment to Matvei Michkov amid Rick Tocchet saga

"One thing I can tell you is Matvei Michkov isn’t going anywhere," Briere said. "Let’s make that clear. Matvei is going to be here for a long time. He’s going to be a good player for the Flyers. What he’s going through right now is all part of the learning process. So that’s out of the way. He’s not going anywhere. He’ll be here, he’ll be a good player. ...

"I talk to Rick Tocchet on a daily basis and he wants Matvei to succeed. He wants to develop him to be the best player he can be. Along the way there’s tough lessons that come with that. It’s like raising a child. There are tough lessons that he’s learning along the way."

After scoring 26 goals with 37 assists and 63 total points in 80 games as a rookie, Michkov entered play on Tuesday with just 13 goals, 15 assists and 28 total points in 53 games this season. He has not only struggled to match his production from a year ago, but he has also had major consistency issues and struggled with his play away from the puck. 

Even with the concerns and inconsistencies, committing to Michkov is the absolute correct decision by the Flyers. There should be no other alternative or option at this point.

Not only because of his talent, upside and untapped potential, but also because any trade involving him at this point would almost certainly be a loss for the Flyers. They are not going to get a player back with more upside. 

The Flyers insist that Tocchet and Michkov have a good relationship and that his struggles are just part of the growing process of a young player. They better hope that is all it is because a big part of the Flyers' future depends on him becoming a star.