Matvei Michkov falls to Philadelphia Flyers at 7th overall at 2023 NHL Draft

The Philadelphia Flyers are just beginning a rebuild that hopefully will make them a Stanley Cup contender down the line. The Flyers drafted someone who very well could be a star player on that roster down the line in Matvei Michkov.

Matvei Michkov falls to Philadelphia Flyers at 7th overall at 2023 NHL Draft

Matvei Michkov arguably was one of the top three most talented players available to kick off the 2023 NHL Draft. He fell to the Flyers at seventh overall due to the uncertainty in regards to his future. Michkov is signed to a KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg. He will be there for at least the next three seasons meaning he won’t make the jump to the NHL till 2026-27 at the earliest.

For the Flyers, waiting for Michkov is a no brainer. The team can play the long game with a prospect like Michkov. Here is what Flyers general manager Daniel Briere had to say about drafting Michkov:

"“We know he has a contract for three more seasons. But we just felt after watching him play and meeting him, we felt he’s a talent we can’t pass up. If we have to wait, we’ll wait.”– via ESPN.com"

Waiting on players signed in the KHL is not a new situation in the NHL. The Minnesota Wild drafted Kirill Kaprizov in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He spent six seasons in the KHL before making the jump to the NHL in 2020.

The Wild had to wait five years before getting Kaprizov in Minnesota, but once he got there he has been electric putting up 234 points in 203 games thus far over the course of his three season NHL career.

The Philadelphia Flyers also drafted 22nd overall to kick off the first day of the draft. With that pick they took right handed defenseman Oliver Bonk. He could be a top four defenseman with their team down the line. With both picks the Flyers have really started to bolster the future look of their franchise, with a prolific winger who can score goals and a defenseman who could be a big minute guy in Philadelphia.