If the Philadelphia Flyers hope to return to the postseason in 2026-27, they’ll need to find a way to build momentum in the standings and stay above other Metropolitan Division rivals, including teams that are determined to bounce back after surprisingly missing the playoffs. (Such as the Washington Capitals) Whether the Flyers will be able to do that will come down to the performances of several key players, perhaps none more so than young star winger Matvei Michkov. Michkov endured a sophomore slump last season, and was a lightning rod for criticism in part due to comments made by head coach Rick Tocchet related to Michkov’s conditioning and the state of his fitness when Michkov arrived at training camp.

The hope in Philadelphia is that a new season can bring a fresh start for Michkov, who is still central to the Flyers’ future plans. At the very least, it appears worries about Michkov’s conditioning are a thing of the past. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that Michkov “is much more prepared to be an impact player this season than last,” and also noted that Tocchet “has noticed an improved stamina level” from Michkov. GM Daniel Briere told the media that the club was “very pleased with the work that [Michkov] put in this summer and the attitude that he showed up with in training camp.” If Michkov’s promising preseason turns into a strong regular season, he could fly past the career-highs he set as a rookie, 26 goals and 63 points. In four preseason contests, Michkov scored three goals and seven points.

Other notes from around the NHL:

• Not every Flyers player has had such an encouraging preseason and training camp. While Michkov has been a standout, goaltender Aleksei Kolosov has endured a difficult preseason, allowing nine goals on 42 shots. Kurz wrote today that he wonders “if the Flyers are considering looking for a more reliable, veteran option” to be the team’s No. 3 goaltender. Philadelphia bolstered its goaltending depth over the summer with the addition of Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Joseph Woll, who is almost certainly an improvement over Sam Ersson. But behind Woll and entrenched No. 1 goalie Dan Vladar, the team has Kolosov as the clear No. 3 option. 21-year-old Carson Bjarnason, while a quality prospect, is not seen as NHL-ready and is the organizational No. 4. Seeing as the Flyers are an injury to one of their NHL goalies away from rostering Kolosov, who has a career .863 save percentage at the NHL level, the addition of a veteran AHL starter who can provide capable play during NHL call-ups could be a valuable one.
• St. Louis Blues defenseman Logan Mailloux left yesterday’s preseason contest with an upper-body injury, per a team announcement. The extent of his injury is unclear, but seeing as the Blues open their regular season on Friday, the injury could put into question Mailloux’s availability for that game. The 23-year-old defenseman had a tough start to his Blues tenure after a trade from the Montreal Canadiens last summer, but turned a corner as the season progressed and became one of the Blues’ more promising young rearguards. The 2021 first-round pick is expected to open the year in St. Louis’ top four on a pairing with Philip Broberg. It remains to be seen whether this new injury will scuttle those plans, at least for a game or two to start the year.