**PHILADELPHIA —**
The last thing the Flyers needed was more gossip about an unsettled locker room situation. That’s why general manager Daniel Briere chose to hold an unscheduled, impromptu media conference about 20 minutes before Tuesday night’s Flyers–Washington Capitals game at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Rumors have swirled since the beginning of the season concerning speculation of a rift between coach Rick Tocchet and Russian second-year player Matvei Michkov. It’s a known fact Michkov came to training camp last September in less-than-ideal shape. If there’s one thing Tocchet won’t tolerate, it’s a player who isn’t game-ready when the season starts. So it was only natural that trade rumors would start to swirl.
“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.”
Few expected Michkov to repeat his 26-goal performance from last year in his rookie season. They don’t call it the sophomore slump for nothing. “What he’s going through right now is all part of the learning process,” Briere said. “So that’s out of the way. He’s not going anywhere. He’ll be here, he’ll be a good player.”
Briere noted it’s a positive thing that Tocchet is willing to go out of his way to teach Michkov how to play the game the right way.
“They [young Flyers] are learning,” Briere explained. “And that’s what Rick Tocchet is trying to teach them. I’ve been through it, team president Keith Jones has been through it, Rick Tocchet has been through it. It’s all part of the process.”
The GM said when Michkov arrived, there would be some bumps along the way. This current situation might be one of those.
“I talk to Rick Tocchet on a daily basis, and he wants Matvei to succeed,” Briere said. “He wants to develop him to be the best player he can be. Along the way, there are tough lessons that come with that. It’s like raising a child. There are tough lessons that he’s learning along the way.
“He and Matvei have a good relationship. Sometimes they’re fiery when you’re not winning. Things are done and said, but they always come back to what’s best for the team and Matvei.”
According to Briere, Tocchet is trying to teach these guys to be better pros — making sure everything off the ice is taken care of: training, nutrition, getting massages, and being ready for the next game.
Briere said, with the exception of Wayne Gretzky, probably all players go through these types of trying times. Maybe things would have been different if Michkov had reported for training camp in top shape.
“One thing I know about Matvei is how driven he is,” Briere said. “He wants to be the best player he can be. He admitted himself he wasn’t in the best physical condition coming in. It’s going to be tough catching up. He’s going to do that in the offseason. It’s going to make him a better hockey player.”
As for the Flyers’ recent slump and temporary fall from contention, Briere preached patience.
“There’s a little bit of noise that’s going around,” Briere said. “Especially when it comes to a little rocky patch that we’ve hit lately. I know it’s upset a lot of people. But it’s just the reality of a team growing.
“Early in the season, when we were fighting for one of the top positions in the division, we realized that was probably a little ahead of schedule.”
Over the past month, a series of poor performances have dropped the Flyers around 10 points out of a playoff spot.
“What’s happening now, the way we’ve been playing, it’s not as bad as the way we’ve been playing,” Briere said. “So we’re somewhere in between all that. It’s important to keep an even keel.”
Briere said the Flyers are still in a rebuild, even though this is his third year at the helm and the team is in danger of missing the playoffs for a possible franchise-record six straight seasons.
This much we know: no one cares more about the Flyers’ future than Briere. He’s going to do everything in his power to get this process done the right way, even if it means having to explain what’s going on behind the scenes just minutes before the start of an important game.
*Wayne Fish is a freelance writer. Follow his coverage at [www.flyingfishhockey.com](http://www.flyingfishhockey.com).*
https://www.pottsmerc.com/2026/02/03/flyers-gm-briere-attempts-to-defuse-perceived-tocchet-michkov-conflict/
