Rookie Matvei Michkov‘s time in the proverbial doghouse seems to have come to an end.
The rookie Philadelphia Flyers forward is set to return to the team’s lineup as they gear up to host the San Jose Sharks on Monday night, the team announced.
Joining him in the lineup will be centre Ryan Poehling. The two moves come at the expense of defenceman Jamie Drysdale and forward Morgan Frost.
Michkov was listed as a healthy scratch for Philadelphia’s last two games against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning in favour of forward Anthony Richard.
The 19-year-old had appeared in the first 13 games for the Flyers before getting benched. Prior to being a healthy scratch, Michkov had seen his ice time steadily decline over the past four games, going from 21:33 TOI on Oct. 27 to 13:57 on Nov. 5.
“It’s just part of the process,” head coach John Tortorella told reporters last week. “With young guys, they can watch games too, as far as development. It’s trying to help him.”
The 19-year-old is leading rookies in scoring, with four goals and six assists in 13 games. Despite this, he’s faced a steep defensive learning curve. The Flyers are getting outscored 10-4 while he’s on the ice at even strength. He’s also committed a team-high 19 giveaways, including five in the defensive zone.
Drysdale, meanwhile, has played in all 15 games for the Flyers this season.
The 22-year-old joined the team via trade in January in a one-for-one swap that sent forward Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks.
A native of Toronto, Drysdale has struggled this season, picking up only one goal and two assists while going minus-10. He’s third on the team in average TOI with 20:35 minutes per game.
Frost has also struggled, as the centre has one goal and five assists in 15 games and is a minus-11.
The Flyers are currently 5-8-2 and sit last in the Metropolitan. Michkov will make his return to the lineup in time to face fellow rookie Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks on Monday night.
