Matvei Michkov is one of the brightest young stars in the NHL, but Sunday wasn’t kind to him. The Russian rookie spent a significant stretch on the bench during the Philadelphia Flyers‘ game against the New Jersey Devils—and postgame, John Tortorella went absolutely livid when pressed by the media about it.
The NHL rookie scoring race is a tight one. Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson currently leads with 49 points in 63 games. San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini sits second with 48 points in 53 games, while Michkov, of the Flyers, is third with 47 points.
Michkov’s rookie season has been a rollercoaster. At times, he’s looked dominant, proving he can create magic out of nothing. But he’s also faced criticism for his defensive play, his work without the puck, and costly turnovers. Head coach John Tortorella has been vocal about the areas Michkov needs to improve, and on Sunday, he took things a step further.
John Tortorella furious
After a poor backchecking effort led to a Devils goal, Tortorella benched Michkov for an extended period. Postgame, when asked about managing one of the league’s most talented young players, Tortorella didn’t hold back.
“There are a number of things that come into play,” Tortorella said. “And you are at a disadvantage because I’m not going to give you that info. It’s not always the play on the ice that I’m trying to teach, so let me give you context before you start all your bullshit.”
Tortorella also pushed back against fan speculation about Michkov’s benching, insisting there was more to the decision.
“Don’t just look at the play,” he said of Michkov’s backchecking on the goal. “No, he didn’t do the job backchecking. No, he didn’t do the job in the offensive zone. But there are more things that come into play. So don’t make a big deal out of it if you think you need to.”
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