NHL phenom Matvei Michkov removed from Philadelphia Flyers lineup after inappropriate comments on the bench

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Sam Walker
November 15, 2024 (2:55 PM)

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Just last week Matvei Michkov learned his was going to be benched by Flyers head coach John Tortorella, just weeks into the season that he packed up and moved from Russia to Philadelphia for.

Following several reports with no truths, many wondered as to why Michkov was removed from the lineup for two straight games.

Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman came forward with his report that he found out, and it all makes perfect sense- but an altercation took place.

Friedman revealed that Michkov is a very competitive person- not player, he shows competitiveness on and off the ice. Friedman started by revealing Michkov's nature before stating why he was benched.

He was so mad at losing at table tennis to one of Philadelphia's other Russians that he refused to talk to whoever it was for a day or so. He's super-competitive and wants to do the right things, so you wait to see how a young player handles being sat - and more importantly, how his teammates react

Said Elliotte Friedman on the 32T Podcast

Friedman continued by revealing why Michkov was benched for two games, despite running the Flyers offensive production so far thus 2024-25 NHL season.

Michkov's brief removal apparently had something to do with an exchange on the bench the Flyers wished to address. It wasn't anything enormous or concerning, more like a «let's deal with it now and move on» teaching moment.