Although he is not injured, Matvei Michkov missed SKA St. Petersburg’s season opener against Dynamo Moscow on Saturday.
In his KHL debut, former Montreal Canadiens Alex Galchenyuk picked up an assist in SKA’s 2-1 win.
Michkov has been used very little recently. After playing just under eight minutes two games ago, the Russian striker saw even less action (less than 5 minutes) in their last meeting, including just one appearance in the second period after causing a turnover. He also had to take a break during the preparation calendar.
Despite his immense talent, Michkov was only selected seventh overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the last NHL draft.
Some teams feared that his decision to stay in Russia would harm his development. In the past, it was common for players drafted in the NHL, including Alexei Emelin, to be shunned in the KHL. Now we can add Michkov’s name to that list.